With IPL 2026 starting on March 28, there is some concern about Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lanka all-rounder was bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 2 crore.
In the T20 World Cup 2026, he suffered a hamstring injury during the group stage match against Ireland and was later ruled out of the tournament.
Now the main question is whether he will be fit for IPL 2026. If not, LSG may need to look for a replacement, as there are not many options available. Let’s take a look at three players LSG could pick if he is not available for IPL 2026.
If Wanindu Hasaranga is not available for Indian Premier League 2026, then his Sri Lanka teammate Maheesh Theekshana could be a good replacement option. He went unsold in the auction. He can bowl in the powerplay and has a knack for taking wickets. He played for Rajasthan Royals in the previous and took 10 wickets in 11 matches. Theekshana was later released by the franchise.
Recently, in the T20 World Cup 2026, he took 11 wickets in seven matches and bowled at an economy rate of 7.41.
He has played for Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. In total, he has played 38 IPL matches, took 36 wickets, and bowled at an economy rate of 8.26. He could be a decent replacement option for Lucknow Super Giants.
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Similar to Maheesh Theekshana, Mujeeb Ur Rahman of Afghanistan can also be a good replacement option for Lucknow Super Giants if Wanindu Hasaranga is unavailable. He played in the T20 World Cup 2026 and took five wickets in four matches. In the previous season he played one match for Mumbai Indians and was later released by the franchise. After that went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction.
In the IPL, he has played for MI, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. In total, he has played 20 matches, taken 20 wickets, and has an economy rate of 8.34. Since the start of 2025, he has played 46 T20 matches and picked up 58 wickets.
Karn Sharma, who played for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the previous season, was later released by the franchise and went unsold in the auction. He took seven wickets in six matches.
Karn has a lot of IPL experience, having played for four different franchises: RCB, CSK, SRH, and MI. In total, he has played 90 matches, taken 83 wickets, and has an economy rate of 8.38. He could be a good replacement option for Wanindu Hasaranga.
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