Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Thushara has reportedly sought legal action over the denial of his IPL No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
Why is Nuwan Thushara taking Sri Lanka Cricket to court?
Last week, news emerged that Thushara had failed a fitness test put in place by Sri Lanka Cricket, and as a result was denied a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad for the IPL; the NOC is a document required by all overseas cricketers from their home board in order to participate. He has previously played for RCB and the Mumbai Indians in the league, and was retained by the 2025 champions for this year.
Thushara is not the only Sri Lankan player currently struggling to obtain an NOC. Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana are also awaiting clearance before they can join up with their IPL squads.
When the reports of Thushara's NOC denial first emerged, Sri Lanka great Chaminda Vaas claimed that the sudden stringency of the board's fitness policy was a result of "poor planning" and that the players should not have to suffer.
On Thursday (April 2), Newswire reported that Thushara has filed a case in the Colombo District Court seeking an order to direct SLC to provide him with an NOC.
The bowler is reportedly arguing that his central contract was set to expire on March 31, 2026 and that he had informed the board that he had no intention of renewing it. He further claims that he his current fitness level is consistent to the rest of his career, and has been issued NOCs based on this before.
Thushara follows Shamsi in seeking legal recourse
This is the second case in recent months of a high-profile player taking the legal route in order to obtain an NOC. Last December, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took Cricket South Africa to court to secure an NOC for the entirety of the ILT20 season. The league overlapped with the SA20, in which South Africa's centrally-contracted players are obligated to participate.
Shamsi had already walked away from a central contract in 2024 and pulled out of the 2025/26 SA20, but did not receive the ILT20 NOC until he filed a case in the Johannesburg High Court and got the ruling in his favour, in what could be a landmark case.
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