Wanindu Hasaranga has been officially ruled out of the ongoing IPL 2026 season. During the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants (KKR vs LSG) match on Thursday, LSG side Tom Moody revealed that the Sri Lankan spin bowling all-rounder has been ruled out, and they are set to announce the replacement within a few days.
On Friday, within 24 hours of the match in Kolkata, it was reported that South African spinner George Linde is all set to join the Lucknow-based franchise for the current IPL season. This would be a replacement of sorts, as like Wanindu Hasaranga, the Protea is also a spin bowling all-rounder.
South African international George Linde is all set to join LSG to replace injured Wanindu Hasaranga
Cricbuzz reported that the South African all-rounder will replace Wanindu Hasaranga for the remainder of IPL 2026, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Liam Dawson also under consideration, but LSG have opted to go with Linde.
“We are preparing for him not being available to us. So, we are in the process of finalizing a replacement, which will be announced in the next 24-48 hours,” LSG global cricket director Tom Moody said while speaking to the broadcaster during Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants (KKR vs LSG) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Why was Wanindu Hasaranga ruled out of IPL 2026?
Due to a serious injury problem, even before the start of the tournament, the Lankan all-rounder’s participation in this year’s IPL was uncertain. It was earlier reported that a serious left hamstring injury has kept Hasaranga out of any competitive matches. He was injured on 8 February during the T20 World Cup. Before the season, Super Giants acquired the spinner’s services for Rs 2 crore.
Meanwhile, LSG registered an impressive win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens last night. Mukul Chaudhary’s unbeaten fifty-run inning gave the team victory. However, despite the budding batsman’s heroics, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif is not at all happy with LSG skipper Rishabh Pant.
Mohammad Kaif’s advice to Rishabh Pant
Pant had another disappointing performance with the bat and was out after scoring only 10 runs at a crucial moment. Kaif said that when the team was under pressure, it was Rishabh Pant’s duty to stay and move forward and take the innings forward.
“But against KKR, the team needed him to stick till his end. He is an experienced player, having been in the IPL since 2016. The situation was not particularly difficult when he came to bat. LSG had scored 41 runs in the first five overs. A batsman needed to take responsibility and bat while chasing the target. That role was for Pant,” Kaif said about Rishabh Pant while speaking on Star Sports.
The former international cricketer urged the keeper-batsman to maintain consistent performance as a captain’s job is to stay at the crease till the end. For this, Kaif has advised Pant to read the match well.
He said, “He did well against SRH, but he needs to bring consistency. Playing a good innings and then failing in the next few matches is not enough. He needs to understand the match situation better and learn when to change gears. A captain’s job is to stay in the chase till the end and Pant should work on this.”
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