Sri Lankan legspinner withdraws because of persistent heel pain on
his left foot.
Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sunrisers Hyderabad legspinner, has been ruled out of
the IPL 2024 due to severe heel pain in his left foot. Hasaranga had not yet
joined the Sunrisers squad, and ESPNcricinfo understands that Sri Lanka Cricket
(SLC) alerted the BCCI of his absence for the season.
There has been no confirmation of Hasaranga's replacement, but it is known the
Sunrisers are looking for one.
Hasaranaga, who last played in Sri Lanka's limited-overs
series in Bangladesh in March, was treated by SLC medical personnel who felt
the pain in his left heel was caused by wear and tear on the musculoskeletal
system. He was supposed to fly overseas for specialist consultation before
receiving permission from SLC to play in the IPL. Sunrisers head coach Daniel
Vettori announced on Thursday that Hasaranga had consulted a specialist in
Dubai, after which the word of his withdrawal spread.
Sunrisers purchased Hasaranga at his basic price of INR 1.5 crore (about USD 181,000) at the 2024 IPL auction in December last year. He was previously with
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who spent INR 10.75 crore for him during the 2022
IPL auction. He had a fantastic season in 2022, taking 26 wickets with an
economy of 7.54, but in 2023, he played only eight games and took nine wickets
with an economy of 8.9.
If Hasaranga recovers in time, he will be an important player for Sri Lanka in
the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1 in the United States and the
Caribbean.
Hasaranga was suspended from Sri Lanka's ongoing Test series against Bangladesh
earlier this month after receiving eight demerit points for violating article
2.8 of the players' code of conduct during the third one-day international
against Bangladesh. Had Hasaranga, who had recently come out of Test retirement
before the ban, been unavailable for the red-ball games, he would have
missed the T20 World Cup's first matches.
SLC, on the other hand, dismissed claims that Hasaranga's return from
retirement was a ploy to ensure he was available for the T20 World Cup, stating
that he had informed them via email on March 16 of his desire to be considered
for Test cricket selection in the future, citing his improved fitness levels.
0 Comments