Wanindu Hasaranga has been a key component for Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket.
Sri Lanka’s position on the points table and their number of players on the injury list have both seen an uptrend in the last week. Having qualified for the Super 8s, the team has had some impressive outings. However, Wanindu Hasaranga, who was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury, might be reintroduced into the tournament by the hosts despite not being fully fit.
The decision has been floated around after the injury to Matheesha Pathirana in Sri Lanka’s latest fixture against Australia. The 23-year-old speedster limped off the field after bowling just four deliveries of his first over. With one of the most impactful bowlers speculated to be out for weeks, the Lankans will certainly look around..
Left-arm speedster Dilshan Madushanka is considered to be the frontrunner to join the squad as a replacement for the injured Pathirana. Nuwan Thushara and Binura Fernando are other fast-bowling options, whereas all-rounder Milan Rathnayake can also be called-up to the squad.
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It wouldn’t really take a lot to take a guess why a team would require the services of a player like Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan all-rounder has been around for a long time, and is one of Sri Lanka’s mainstays in white-ball cricket.
Though Sri Lanka have made it to the Super 8s without breaking a sweat, the opponents in the tournament from this point will only get more challenging. And that is the reason the hosts need to have someone who can have an impact with both bat and ball. The Lankan believe that Hasaranga can have an impact in the later stages of the tournament, once he is fully recovered.
In 93 T20I innings, Hasaranga has scalped 154 wickets at an economy of 7.02, which is impressive for a spinner mostly bowling in the middle overs. The 28-year-old was not able to play for majority of the group stage of the tournament, and will be expected to make a quick recovery.
What stands out for Hasaranga is his ability to bowl two different deliveries with the almost same release – something which is extremely difficult for the batter to pick from the hand. His googly is bowled with almost the same release as the stock delivery, making the batters read the ball of the deck, which ends up hurrying them to scalp a wicket.
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