Pakistan bans Sri Lanka’s Shanaka from PSL for one year over unilateral withdrawal

Gujarat Titans’ Dasun Shanaka warms up before the start of a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on May 2, 2025. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 20 April 2026
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Pakistan bans Sri Lanka’s Shanaka from PSL for one year over unilateral withdrawal

  • Dasun Shanaka ​left ‌the Pakistan Super League to ​join the ⁠Indian Premier League, which runs almost simultaneously
  • Shanaka, who is yet to appear for Rajasthan this season, ⁠said that he deeply regretted the decision to withdraw

Sri Lanka ‌all-rounder Dasun Shanaka, who withdrew from this year’s Pakistan Super League and ​later joined Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, has been banned from the next edition of the PSL, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Monday.

Shanaka is the latest international ‌player to be ‌suspended after ​leaving ‌the ⁠PSL and ​joining the ⁠Indian league, which runs almost simultaneously, after Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani got a two-year ban earlier this month.

The Pakistani board said in a statement that 34-year-old ⁠Shanaka, who captained Sri Lanka ‌in this ‌year’s Twenty20 World Cup, ​had unilaterally ‌withdrawn from the PSL last ‌month.

“The findings indicated that the withdrawal was made on grounds not recognized within the existing contractual framework,” it ‌said.

Shanaka, who is yet to appear for Rajasthan this season, ⁠said ⁠in a statement that he deeply regretted the decision to withdraw, and had no intention of joining any other tournament when he pulled out of the PSL.

“I hope to return to the PSL in the future with renewed dedication and ​the trust ​of the fans,” he added.