India, March 26 -- With the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) set to open their IPL 2026 campaign on March 28, Saturday, they have received a massive blow. Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara will miss the entire season after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reportedly refused to grant him the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the season, making him unavailable.

Why did Sri Lanka Cricket not grant Nuwan Thushara the NOC?

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has recently made it mandatory for the players to pass fitness tests, having introduced physical performance tests. Should the cricketers wish to play overseas T20 leagues, they must pass these performance tests to feature in them. Hence, the decision on Thushara's IPL participation was taken following the outcom...