Nuwan Thushara withdraws lawsuit against Sri Lanka Cricket in 2026

Nuwan Thushara abandoned his legal dispute with Sri Lanka Cricket by withdrawing his case in April 2026.

Case withdrawal details Thushara informed the Colombo District Court that he wanted to drop his lawsuit since most of the IPL schedule had already concluded. A written apology from Thushara was delivered to Sri Lanka Cricket last week, showing his readiness to end the court battle. In his initial court filing, Thushara expressed his intention to retire from international cricket, though it remains uncertain whether this decision still stands. Regardless, under Sri Lanka Cricket’s updated fitness rules, Thushara cannot be selected until he meets the specified fitness benchmarks. ## Fitness dispute and legal move Thushara’s request for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was denied because he did not meet Sri Lanka Cricket’s fitness standards, which he argued were not a barrier in prior years. He maintained that his fitness levels had largely stayed unchanged for some time. Frustrated by the deadlock, Thushara announced his retirement and filed the lawsuit shortly after. In the legal documents, Thushara argued that the mandatory fitness-based NOC was an unfair restriction on his ability to earn a living. ## Court timeline and outcome The initial hearing on April 2 fell on a court holiday weekend, making a quick resolution impossible. The case was revisited on April 9, when Sri Lanka Cricket signaled plans to submit formal objections. The matter was finally addressed on April 23, leading to the dismissal of the case. The lawsuit’s timing raised questions about its urgency given the holiday calendar. ## International career highlights Thushara, with 30 international appearances exclusively in T20 matches, featured for Mumbai Indians in the IPL during 2024. He later joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025, continuing his franchise career in the league.