Sri Lanka fast-bowler Nuwan Thushara has begun legal action against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), arguing the board had “no reasonable basis” to block his move to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this season’s IPL.
Court papers filed in Colombo this week say Thushara’s central contract lapsed on 31 March, one day before the tournament’s opening fixture, so any insistence on a no-objection certificate (NOC) places “an unfair restraint on the claimant’s right to earn a living”. The case lists SLC president Shammi Silva, secretary Bandula Dissanayake, treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda and chief executive Ashley de Silva as defendants.
A first hearing is pencilled in for 9 April, the earliest date available after the Easter recess. Even the most optimistic lawyers expect several sittings, so the 30-year-old seamer is set to miss at least another fortnight of the league he was bought for earlier in the year. RCB have not yet sought a replacement.
Thushara, who had hinted privately that he planned to step back from international duty once his deal ended, wrote to the board on 15 and 23 March requesting the NOC. He says SLC’s written reply on 24 March confirmed the refusal, while an informal message on 28 March repeated the stance.
The board’s defence is built around a tougher fitness policy pushed through by the current selection panel after Sri Lanka’s disappointing T20 World Cup. Players must now clear five separate tests – a two-kilometre run, a 20-metre sprint, a 5-0-5 agility drill, a skin-fold check and a counter-movement jump. Each discipline carries a possible 29 points; anyone scoring under 17 fails.
“If you fair poorly in those two, it will be very hard to pass,” an SLC source said, referring to the 2km run and skin-fold assessments that carry extra weight.
The fitness work has been in place in training since 2021 but was treated more as guidance than a hard selection bar. That changed in January, and Thushara was one of several fringe players red-flagged during the latest round of testing.
Under ICC regulations, a player must receive an NOC from his home board before appearing in an overseas league, yet the global body leaves the precise criteria – fitness or otherwise – entirely to each board. The outstanding question now is whether those powers extend to someone no longer under contract.
One Colombo sports lawyer, not connected to the action, believes Thushara has a reasonable case. “If the employment relationship has ended, the board is on thinner ice when it tries to police where a cricketer works next. The court will weigh that against SLC’s duty to maintain standards for anyone who might still be selected for the national side.”
SLC officials have so far declined public comment, citing the live court process, though they maintain privately that every centrally contracted player was made aware of the new thresholds late last year.
The timing is awkward for Sri Lanka. The board has talked up a fresh-start, fitness-first culture, and has already refused NOCs for several players looking at rival Twenty20 leagues. Thushara’s stand brings that policy, and the limits of board authority, into full view.
Financially, the fast-bowler’s loss is obvious. IPL retainers dwarf most national contracts; a six-week absence could cost him tens of thousands of dollars before match fees and bonuses are counted. The case notes that the auction fee alone represents a life-changing sum in the local context.
From RCB’s angle, the situation is a headache but not yet a crisis. The franchise is still sifting through pace options and has a window to find a stop-gap should the court battle drag on. Team management have told Indian reporters only that they “respect the legal process” and remain in touch with the player.
Thushara’s camp, meanwhile, insist this is not an anti-SLC move. Friends point out he served the national side willingly and is merely challenging what he views as an administrative overreach.
How the court rules may set a precedent for other Sri Lankans in similar positions, particularly those nearing the end of their playing days or weighing up freelance T20 careers. With domestic cricket revenues shrinking, the ability to pick up overseas work is increasingly important.
For now, all parties wait. The IPL rolls on, RCB shuffle their pace plans, and Thushara keeps training quietly in Colombo, ready – he hopes – to board a flight the moment a judge gives him the green light. If that takes too long, the season, and a sizeable pay-cheque, may have slipped away.
