Sri Lanka Cricket To Conduct Fitness Tests Before Handing NOC For It's IPL-Bound Players: Report

Sri Lanka Cricket will conduct fitness tests for some of its international players before providing them with no-objection certificates (NOCs) to participate in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

With the IPL 2026 season being just over a week away, all the franchises have kicked off their training camps. However, the Sri Lankan cricketers bound for IPL 2026 are yet to join their respective sides.

Sri Lanka Cricket Mandates Fitness Tests Before Granting NOCs for IPL Players

Reports have specified that star players like Kolkata Knight Riders' Matheesha Pathirana, Lucknow Super Giants' Wanindu Hasaranga, Sunrisers Hyderabad's Eshan Malinga and Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Nuwan Thushara are among the cricketers who are expected to undergo fitness tests early next week in Colombo.

Upon completing their fitness tests, the cricketers would receive a No-Objection Certificate from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, allowing them to feature in the 2026 season of IPL.

Multiple IPL franchise officials have said that they will receive an update on the Sri Lankan stars once their scheduled fitness tests are done.

"There are fitness tests scheduled by SLC on Monday and Tuesday, and we will know about their players only after that," officials of multiple IPL franchises said to Cricbuzz.

Also Read: Lockie Ferguson to Miss Opening IPL 2026 Games for PBKS; Star Pacer To Take A Brief Time Off

Amid the delay, the IPL franchises remain confident about their availability for the upcoming season.

What Happened To The Sri Lankan Players? 

Sri Lanka players Matheesha Pathirana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Eshan Malinga suffered injuries before or during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Hasaranga suffered a left hamstring tear and has been ruled out since their opening T20 World Cup fixture against Ireland.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant Praises Coach Bharat Arun as Key to LSG’s Bowling Revival Ahead of IPL 2026

Matheesha Pathirana, on the other hand, featured in three T20 World Cup games before being ruled out because of injury.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season kicks off with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.