In a major blow to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, their star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga is set to miss the entire season of the Indian Premier League.
Hasaranga is currently out of action due to an injury to his left heel and would reportedly need more time to rehab. "He is not taking part in the IPL as he needs to do some rehabilitation after meeting the podiatrist," SLC CEO Ashley de Silva told the Sunday Times Newspaper.
"There’s a swelling in the heel and he has been playing with injections. So he has decided to get this issue sorted out before the World Cup and informed us of his decision to skip the IPL this year," de Silva added.
Recently, Hasaranga's manager told Cricbuzz that the wily-spinner will join the SRH camp "sooner than later" and dismissed any thoughts that the Sri Lankan T20 captain is not keen to play the tournament due to a money factor.
"He will join sooner than later," his manager had told the cricket website on March 29. "If money was a factor, we could have enrolled for an INR 2 crore base price. Besides, fewer games mean less money. He has to take care of his ankle. He is also the captain of the national team," the manager had added.
Hasaranga will be travelling to Dubai to seek expert advice for his heel. Hasaranga played in the Bangladesh white-ball series recently but was in pain during it. He is eyeing to play in the T20 World Cup 2024, where he is set to lead the team.
Hasaranga recently came out of Test retirement for the Bangladesh series but could not play in any of the two matches as he was hit with a suspension. The Sri Lankan spinner had accumulated eight demerit points after receiving three more for his offence during an ODI against the Bangla Tigers. He was hit with a suspension of two Tests, or four ODIs or four T20Is, whichever comes first.
SRH are currently playing with Mayank Dagar and Shahbaz Ahmed as their two spinners and lacks the spin quality that Hasaranga would have brought. SRH have won one and lost the other in their first two matches of the IPL 2024.
