IPL 2021: RCB's Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera will not be available for playoffs
Sri Lankan stars Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have received No Objection Certificates from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The duo will be available to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second phase of IPL 2021 until October 10.
The 2021 edition of the IPL will resume on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the top contenders to win the championship this year. However, RCB will have to play without their Sri Lankan stars if they qualify for the playoffs.
SLC has allowed Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera to be a part of the IPL only till October 10, the date on which Qualifier 1 is scheduled to happen.
The two Sri Lankan players will leave RCB and join their national squad to play in the warm-up matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 after October 10.
"The ‘No Objection Certificate’ to the duo was issued for them to join the IPL teams starting from 15th September (following the completion of the South Africa Tour of Sri Lanka). The two players will join the Sri Lanka squad on 10th October 2021 to play in the two warm-up games prior to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers," an official statement from SLC read.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have never played an IPL match before
Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera could make their IPL debuts this year.
While Hasaranga received his first-ever IPL contract from RCB this year, Chameera was part of the Rajasthan Royals team in IPL 2018. However, the Sri Lankan fast bowler did not get a single game.
It will be interesting to see how the two Sri Lankan cricketers perform for the Virat Kohli-led outfit in IPL 2021.