The drama between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Nuwan Thushara has taken an ugly turn over the fast bowler’s participation in the ongoing IPL 2026 in India. Nuwan Thushara was set to join Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this season, but he has now been ruled out completely because Sri Lanka Cricket has refused to clear his NOC under a strict new fitness rule.
This is a huge blow for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This situation has left Thushara to drag the SLC to court after being blocked from playing in the ongoing IPL 2026.
The Sri Lankan board has recently introduced a new fitness policy. According to this rule, a player can only take part in the overseas leagues if they pass the fitness benchmarks set by the SLC. Thushara is not injured, but he failed to meet the fresh standards, paving the way for the board to block his NOC.
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This has all but shattered Thushara’s dream of wearing the RCB jersey again in the ongoing IPL 2026. This will also impact his future participations in other overseas tournaments. With no option left, the fast bowler moved to court and requested immediate permission to play in franchise leagues, including IPL 2026.
Thushara moves Court, blames SLC for damaging his career
In his petition, Thushara has directly mentioned the SLC president, secretary, treasurer, and CEO as responsible persons for his loss. He has informed the court that his contract with Sri Lanka Cricket ended on March 31, 2026, and that he had already decided to step away from international cricket.
He also told the court that he had already told the SLC about his unavailability for the national selection, so blocking his NOC on fitness grounds makes no sense. Thushara insisted that his fitness is the same as before, and SLC had no problem issuing him NOCs in previous IPL stints, so why now?
Well, the Colombo District Court was supposed to hear the matter on April 9. However, after listening to both sides, the court pushed the hearing forward and ordered Sri Lanka Cricket to submit their objections by April 23, 2026.
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However, the SLC has made it clear to the court that they will strongly oppose Thushara’s request. They are preparing to file an objection, saying that no player should be allowed to bypass the new system.
The Colombo District Court today instructed Sri Lanka Cricket to submit its objections on that date.Through this petition, Nuwan Thushara is requesting that Sri Lanka Cricket grant him the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the Indian Premier League. t.co/boLQFfJhSD
— DANUSHKA ARAVINDA (@DanuskaAravinda) April 9, 2026? Sri Lanka Cricket hits back hard. The board has informed Colombo District Court that it will strongly object to Nuwan Thushara’s petition seeking a court order to force SLC to issue an NOC for the 2026 IPL and other overseas T20 leagues.No easy ride for the fast bowler. pic.twitter.com/xmLh9du7co
— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) April 9, 2026Who is Nuwan Thushara?
Nuwan Thushara is one of the most talked-about names because of his rare sling-arm action, which is often compared to Lasith Malinga. The right-arm medium-fast bowler made his T20I debut in February 2022 at the SCG and has played 30 matches for Sri Lanka, taking 36 wickets so far.
The 31-year-old bowler last played for Sri Lanka in January 2026 against Pakistan in Dambulla. On the other hand, Thushara made his IPL debut in 2024 with Mumbai Indians, where he played 8 matches and picked 9 wickets, including a best of 3/28.
His unique style, angles, and sharp yorkers caught the attention of RCB, who bought him for ₹1.60 crore for IPL 2025 and then retained him for the ongoing season.
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