IPL 2026: RCB suffer major blow as Nuwan Thushara denied NOC by Sri Lankan board

Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara’s participation in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) has come under a cloud as he’s been denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). 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.

However, he has failed to pass the mandatory fitness test by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and has been denied the NOC. According to ESPNCricinfo, Thushara failed to achieve the passing score of 17 out of the 29 points on offer, across five different metrics, in the fitness test.

As a result, he won’t be available for the season’s curtain raiser fixture between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), scheduled to be played on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Thushara will be eligible to take another fitness test after a gap of four to five days.

However, another failure in the test could well see him barred from playing any representative cricket for the foreseeable future. The Sri Lankan fast bowler has played eight matches in his IPL career, with nine wickets to his name.

RCB's fast bowling crisis for IPL 2026

Thushara’s absence will hurt RCB massively during their initial few matches, as there’s already uncertainty around their pace attack leader, Josh Hazlewood’s participation, while Yash Dayal won’t be available to play due to his ongoing legal trouble.

Meanwhile, other IPL-bound Sri Lankan players, Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga, are nursing injuries and are yet to appear for their fitness tests in order to earn NOCs to play in the tournament.

Hasaranga was bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 2 crore at the mini-auction, while Pathirana went to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 18 crore.