NOC denies, LSG’s 2 Cr star to pull out of IPL 2026; South Africa on radar

Sri Lanka’s star all-rounder suffers major setback for Lucknow Supergiants Wanindu Hasalanga has been excluded from the ongoing IPL 2026 season. According to ESPNcricinfo, the team is expected to announce a replacement within the next 24 to 48 hours.“We are preparing for the fact that he will not be able to join us,” Moody said during LSG Kolkata’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday. “We are looking for a replacement and expect to announce it within 24-48 hours.”south african left arm spinner George Lind is the frontrunner to replace Hasalanga. Linde, who is yet to play an IPL match, may get his first opportunity in the tournament. Hasaranga has been sidelined since he tore his left hamstring in Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup opener in February. ESPNcricinfo reported earlier this week that Hasaranga did not participate in the mandatory fitness test under SLC observation, which is a mandatory requirement for the NOC to join the IPL.In the IPL 2026 mini-auction, LSG acquired Hasaranga for Rs 2 crore at the auction but was unable to join the team due to injury. He played for Rajasthan Royals last season and Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2021 to 2023.George Linde’s last T20 appearance was in the bilateral series against New Zealand, where he took just one wicket in four innings. However, he remains active on the global circuit, playing in the T20 World Cup and franchise leagues such as SA20, The Hundred, Major League Cricket and PSL last year. Overall, he took 218 wickets in 250 T20 games at an economy rate of 7.42.LSG beat KKR in last-ball thrillerDespite the setback, Lucknow Supergiants registered a thrilling wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders and tied 182 runs off the last ball of the match. Half-centuries from Ayush Badoni (54) and debutant Mukul Choudhary (54*) took center stage in the chase, with Choudhary’s explosive shot sealing the win in dramatic fashion.Mukul Choudhary and Avesh Khan combined for an unbeaten 54-run stand, the highest partnership for an eighth wicket or less in a successful IPL chase. Notably, Chaudhry scored 52 of these runs while Avish contributed just 1 run off 3 balls. Earlier, KKR scored 181/4 thanks to contributions from Ajinkya Rahane (41), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45) and late performances from Rovman Powell and Rovman Powell. Cameron Green.However, LSG held their nerve under pressure to pull off one of the most dramatic chases of the season.