Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana remain on the wrong side of Sri Lanka Cricket’s new fitness line in the sand. The board confirmed this week that neither player has yet attempted the compulsory assessment every centrally-contracted cricketer must pass before receiving an IPL No Objection Certificate (NOC).
That leaves 24 of the 45 contracted players in the clear, 15 still untested and another six who have had at least one failed attempt. “Hasaranga has not as yet requested for an NOC (No Objection Certificate),” an SLC source said, underlining how far the leg-spinner is from a return.
Hasaranga’s case feels the trickiest. A torn left hamstring, picked up in the T20 World Cup opener against Ireland back in February, keeps pushing his comeback date outwards. There is no word on when he will tackle the sprint, agility drill and 2 km run that make up SLC’s points-based test. Lucknow Super Giants, who bought him in December, can only wait.
Pathirana’s outlook is a touch brighter. The slingy quick strained a calf against Australia during the same tournament, but he has resumed bowling off a shortened run-up at Pallekele. Those around him reckon he could join Kolkata Knight Riders by mid-April. If so, a fitness test would need to happen in the next week or so.
Why the stricter regime? Over the past 12 months SLC has tried—and often failed—to drag fitness standards up. The current test is split into five parts: a 20 m sprint, the 5-0-5 change-of-direction drill, a counter-movement jump, plus the 2 km run and a skin-fold check. Seventeen points out of a possible 29 is the pass mark. Miss it and a player has to try again within seven days; miss twice and selection is off the table until the next window.
Domestic cricketers feel the squeeze too. Before Monday’s National Super League opener every squad member faced a lighter version: only the run and skin-folds, no points, just a minimum threshold. Out of 87 players, 23 fell short. They can keep playing for now but will forfeit match fees unless they pass by 19 April, and their long-term spots are no guarantee either.
Coaches appear broadly supportive. One provincial trainer, who preferred to stay unnamed, said the new approach “takes the debate out of selection—either you’re fit enough or you’re not.” Still, there is concern about timing. With global franchise calendars crowding the year, placing SLC tests in narrow domestic windows leaves little room for niggles.
For Hasaranga and Pathirana the equation is straightforward. Clear the test, collect the NOC and board the next flight to India. Fail, and IPL 2026 starts without two of Sri Lanka’s headline acts. The coming fortnight should tell us plenty.
