Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga are among 15 Sri Lankan players who are still waiting to complete the fitness checks required under central contracts, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed. The update also suggests that six other centrally contracted players have already missed at least one attempt, leaving just 24 of the 45 centrally retained cricketers currently recorded as having passed the mandatory test.<\/p>\n
SLC\u2019s fitness overhaul has created a clear split between those who have completed the process and those who have not. While the explanations for the untested players differ\u2014covering matters such as injury status and planning\/logistics\u2014Hasaranga and Pathirana stand out because their next steps carry immediate importance for upcoming franchise planning.<\/p>\n
The timelines around Hasaranga and Pathirana are particularly relevant because the pair are expected to feature for Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively in IPL 2026. However, their current fitness-test situations appear to be moving on different tracks.<\/p>\n
Hasaranga\u2019s position is described as the more concerning. An SLC source stated that \u201cHasaranga has not as yet requested for an NOC (No Objection Certificate).\u201d The 28-year-old leg-spinner has been dealing with a left hamstring tear sustained during Sri Lanka\u2019s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in February. As of now, there is no clear timetable for when he will complete his SLC-mandated fitness evaluation.<\/p>\n
Pathirana, too, suffered an injury during the same T20 World Cup campaign\u2014this time a calf strain picked up in the match against Australia. He is understood to have started bowling in the nets as his rehabilitation progresses. Those close to the player are hopeful he can travel to India for the IPL by mid-April. While SLC has not yet published a specific date for his required fitness test, the circumstances suggest it may be staged within the following week.<\/p>\n
SLC\u2019s drive to tighten fitness culture has also reached the domestic National Super League, which began on Monday. The testing framework is described as less demanding for this competition than for centrally contracted players, with clear differences in both components and scoring.<\/p>\n
With 87 players involved in the National Super League, 23 are reported to have failed to meet the minimum fitness standards. Those players have been given a deadline of April 19 to complete the required fitness clearance. If they do not pass by then, they may still be allowed to continue playing, but they will be denied their match fees. Their future involvement in the tournament is also expected to face additional review.<\/p>\n
Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga are among 15 Sri Lankan players who are still waiting to complete the fitness checks required under central contracts, Sri…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"SLC Fitness Update: Hasaranga & Pathirana Test Pending","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"SLC confirms Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga still haven\u2019t cleared fitness tests, while only 24 of 45 central contracts are fully passed.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n