Sri Lanka grants NOC to Eshan Malinga
Sri Lanka Cricket has granted Eshan Malinga a No Objection Certificate to play in the IPL while other Sri Lankan players (Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana) remain subject to fitness clearances. (outlookindia.com)
Eshan Malinga had been retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad after SRH initially bought him for INR 1.2 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. (cricketnews.com ) In his maiden IPL season, Malinga took 13 wickets in seven matches and emerged as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s third-highest wicket-taker in 2025. (cricketnews.com ) On March 21, Sri Lanka Cricket made passing a physical performance test a mandatory precondition for board clearance and announced that Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis had already passed those tests. (espncricinfo.com ) SLC listed Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara as players still pending fitness assessments while they undergo rehabilitation. (espncricinfo.com ) Auction prices tied to the fitness uncertainty show the stakes: Pathirana was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹18 crore, Hasaranga went to Lucknow Super Giants for ₹2 crore, and Nuwan Thushara was acquired by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for about ₹1.6 crore. (business-standard.com ) (news18.com ) (crictracker.com ) Reports indicated Pathirana was likely to miss the IPL start and was expected to become available only from mid-April as part of an eight-week specialised training and rehabilitation programme run by SLC. (espncricinfo.com ) The IPL was scheduled to begin on March 28, 2026, compressing franchises’ timelines for replacement decisions, and Kolkata Knight Riders publicly indicated they would wait for Pathirana’s recovery rather than immediately naming a replacement. (espncricinfo.com ) (outlookindia.com )
