IPL 2026: Nuwan Thushara sues Sri Lanka Cricket for denying NOC

Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara has filed a lawsuit against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after being denied a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). Thushara was denied permission to play in the tournament after failing to pass the mandatory fitness test by SLC.

In his lawsuit, Thushara has argued that his contract with SLC ended on March 31, 2026, and he intended to step away from international cricket after that. Hence, it was unreasonable for SLC to deny him a NOC and be a barrier to his livelihood.

SLC president Shammi Silva, secretary Bandula Dissanayake, treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda and CEO Ashley de Silva have been named defendants in the case, set to be taken again in the court on April 9. With Sri Lanka’s court set to be closed over the Easter weekend, and the unlikelihood of the case being settled in a single hearing, Thushara will likely miss two more weeks of the IPL.

Thushara was supposed to join Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp ahead of the season after being retained by the franchise for Rs 1.60 crore. According to ICC (International Cricket Council) regulations, it’s mandatory for a player to obtain an NOC from their home board to participate in overseas leagues.

However, there’s no specific criterion set for boards to grant or deny it, and the conditions for issuing an NOC is up to the discretion of the individual boards, which allows them to formulate their own policies.

SLC introduces new fitness test  

SLC introduced new mandatory fitness requirements to obtain an NOC, following Sri Lanka's poor performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which saw them get knocked out in the Super 8 stage.

However, Thushara has argued that such fitness requirements weren’t needed for an NOC in the past, and his fitness levels have been the same throughout his career, which helped him obtain NOCs in 2024 and 2025 as well. 

Thushara’s case is similar to South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi, who sued Cricket South Africa (CSA) in Johannesburg High Court in December 2025. CSA had refused to grant him a full-duration NOC to play in the rival International League T20 (ILT20) after he had withdrawn from an SA20 league contract, while not being centrally contracted as well.

Shamsi’s case was heard in the High Court with an interim order forcing CSA to grant the full NOC. It remains to be seen if Thushara will also get the ruling in his favour, with him also being out of the central contract.