Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have been granted permission from the Sri Lankan Cricket board to travel to the UAE for the IPL, where they will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, as per ESPN cricinfo. However, should RCB reach the latter stages of the tournament the pair will not be available, as their permission to play only lasts until October 9.
That is due to the warm-up games Sri Lanka are due to play from the 10th in preparation for the T20 World Cup, set to begin on October 17. The pair must also stay on with Sri Lanka until September 15 in order to play for their country in the series against South Africa which includes three ODIs and three T20s.
The IPL itself resumes on September 19 with a revised location having been delayed after soaring COVID cases rendered it unsustainable earlier this year. RCB will be gaining in Hasaranga a hugely talented leg-spinner who recently won the man-of-the-series award in Sri Lanka’s T20Is against India. He can also swing his bat down the order.
Chameera is a tall right-arm quick who has played for Sri Lanka in all three formats. His T20 record is particularly impressive, in which he averages 26.16 at an economy of 7.74. RCB have also signed Tim David and George Garton, who will replace the withdrawn New Zealanders Finn Allen and Scott Kuggeleijn. Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams and Adam Zampa were the other holes that needed filling.
