BREAKING! Lucknow Super Giants’ Wanindu Hasaranga Ruled Out of Tata IPL 2026. Replacement to be Named Soon

The Lucknow Super Giants have been dealt a massive blow as their star all-rounder, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, has been ruled out of the Tata IPL 2026 after he failed to recover from a hamstring injury that he picked up during the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The franchise, led by Tom Moody’s cricket operations team, is expected to announce a replacement within 24–48 hours, with South Africa’s George Linde and England’s Adil Rashid emerging as the frontrunners.

Why did Wanindu Hasaranga get ruled out?

After picking up a hamstring injury, Hasaranga was ruled out midway through the T20 World Cup. He got ample time before the IPL 2026 to cope with and recover from his injury, but the Sri Lankan leggie couldn’t win the race against time.

• Fitness Test Failure: Hasaranga has not cleared the mandatory fitness test under Sri Lanka Cricket’s supervision.
• No NOC Issued: Without passing the test, he was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC), making him ineligible to participate in IPL 2026.
• Last Appearance: His most recent professional outing was Sri Lanka’s opening game at the 2026 T20 World Cup against Ireland, where he impressed with a three-wicket haul.

This news comes as a major setback for LSG, who had secured Hasaranga at the mini-auction for his base price of INR 2 crore. His absence leaves a void in both spin and lower-order batting depth.

 

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Wanindu Hasaranga’s IPL Career at a glance

Wanindu Hasaranga’s first IPL outing came in the year 2021 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru when he got picked as an injury replacement. He only featured in 2 games before getting a big payday in the 2022 IPL auctions as Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured his services for INR 10.75 crores.

The 29-year-old featured in 26 games for the Royal Challengers across three seasons and scalped 35 wickets before shifting his base to the Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was acquired for INR 1.5 crore ahead of the 2024 season by the 2016 champions. Unfortunately for SRH and Hasaranga, the leggie was ruled out of the season due to injury even before it started. However, he was back in the cash-rich league again in 2025, this time for the inaugural champions, the Rajasthan Royals, at INR 5.25 crores.

Take a look at Hasaranga’s journey, both with the bat and ball, in the IPL thus far.

Wanindu Hasaranga – IPL Batting Statistics by Season

• Teams Played: Hasaranga featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore (2021–2023) and Rajasthan Royals (2025). In 2026, he was signed by Lucknow Super Giants, but ruled out before playing.
• Batting Role: Primarily a lower-order batter, his contributions with the bat have been minimal compared to his bowling impact.
• Best Season with Bat: 2023, where he scored 33 runs at a strike rate of 117.86, showing glimpses of utility as a finisher.
• Overall Numbers: Across 37 matches, he has scored 81 runs with a highest score of 18, underlining his role as a bowling all-rounder rather than a batting asset.

Wanindu Hasaranga – IPL Bowling Statistics by Season

• Peak Season: 2022 with RCB, where he bagged 26 wickets at an average of 16.54, including a five-wicket haul.
• Last showing: With Rajasthan Royals in 2025, he took 11 wickets in 11 matches, including a four-wicket haul.
• Overall Record: 46 wickets in 37 matches, maintaining his reputation as a strike bowler despite a slightly high economy rate.
• Teams Played: Featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore (2021–2023), Rajasthan Royals (2025), and was signed by Lucknow Super Giants (2026) but ruled out before playing.

With Hasaranga now being ruled out, the Lucknow Super Giants team management, led by head coach Justin Langer and team director Tom Moody, has a lot of brainstorming to do. There are quite a few names who can make their way to Tata IPL 2026 donning LSG’s Red and Blue, like-

• England’s experienced leggie Adil Rashid, who could be a like-for-like replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga in bowling style.
• Proteas left-arm spin bowling all-rounder George Linde could be a good option as well. Linde, along with his left-arm spin, can add depth to LSG’s batting order.