Sri Lanka's leading spinner, Wanindu Hasaranga, will miss the 2024 Indian Premier League season due to a left heel injury, Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva stated on Sunday. Hasaranga was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction in December on his base price of INR 1.5 crore, following his release from Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Initially, it was reported that Hasaranga would be unavailable for ‘at least a week’; however, the injury now seems more serious. Hasaranga recently featured in Sri Lanka's white-ball series against Bangladesh but a report from ESPNcricinfo stated that he did so while going through a substantial amount of pain.
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During the six matches that he played in the limited-overs formats, Hasaranga claimed eight wickets, with six coming in the ODI series and two in the T20Is.
“He is not taking part in the IPL as he needs to do some rehabilitation after meeting the podiatrist. 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," Sri Lanka CEO Ashley de Silva told The Sunday Times.
{{/usCountry}}“He is not taking part in the IPL as he needs to do some rehabilitation after meeting the podiatrist. 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," Sri Lanka CEO Ashley de Silva told The Sunday Times.
{{/usCountry}}The revelation from de Silva comes as a surprise, as the player's manager told Cricbuzz earlier this week that Hasaranga would join SRH “sooner rather than later.”
“All I can say is he will definitely join the team,” his manager had further said.
When asked whether low money was a reason behind not joining the SRH camp, Hasaranga's manager categorically denied the claim.
"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 said.
SRH meet GT
Despite missing their star spinner, the Sunrisers had a positive start to the tournament. Despite opening the season with a loss against Kolkata Knight Riders, the SRH picked up positives with a strong performance, losing by only 4 runs in the 209-run chase.
Earlier this week, the side smashed the record for the highest runs in a single innings in IPL history, scoring 277/3 in 20 overs against Mumbai Indians. They won the game by 31 runs; on Sunday, the side will look to register its second-successive win in the season when it meets Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans.