IPL 2021: RCB's Wanindu Hasaranga And Dushmantha Chameera Unavailable For Playoffs

Sri Lankan cricketers Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have received NOC’s from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board but only till October 10, meaning they cannot participate in the playoffs should their franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) qualify.

The Lankan board has confirmed that their time in the IPL will last only till the group stages, following which they will have to join the national team for warmup games leading to the 2021 T20 World Cup.

The ICC event’s qualifiers begin on October 17, which is just two days after the conclusion of the IPL 2021. Therefore, the Lankan duo will have to leave the franchise to join the Sri Lankan squad on October 10, the day of Qualifier 1 in the IPL.

“The ‘No Objection Certificate’ to the duo was issued for them to join the IPL teams starting from 15th September (following the completion of the South Africa Tour of Sri Lanka). The two players will join the Sri Lanka squad on 10th October 2021 to play in the two warm-up games prior to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers,” SLC’s official statement read.

Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera might get their debut caps in the IPL

The Lankan pair of Hasaranga and Chameera is yet to play a single match in the IPL. While Chameera was previously part of the Rajasthan Royals back in 2018, he never appeared in a game for the franchise.

Hasaranga on the other hand signed his first contract ever with the RCB side. He was impressive in the white-ball series against India last month, which consequently earned him the contract. Hasaranga was brought in to replace Adam Zampa, who pulled out of the tournament citing logical complications.

RCB also added Tim David and George Garton to its bench. The side is currently placed third in the points table, with five wins out of seven games. Only Delhi Capitals (DC) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have fared better than them so far.

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