Lucknow Super Giants replace Wanindu Hasaranga with George Linde in IPL 2026

Lucknow Super Giants’ global Director of Cricket Tom Moody has confirmed that Wanindu Hasaranga will miss the IPL 2026. The Sri Lankan all-rounder sustained a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup, which has ruled him out of the competition.

Although the franchise waited in hopes of his recovery and availability, there was no clear timeline for his return. As a result, the team management opted to bring in a replacement, signing George Linde of South Africa, who has previously represented his national side in 3 Tests, 4 ODIs, and 37



T20Is.

“Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have signed Protea all-rounder George Linde as a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga, who has been ruled out of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026,” IPL’s official statement confirmed the development.

Meanwhile, Linde has never featured in the IPL. He had set his base price at INR 1 crore in the auction, but the 34-year-old went unsold. Now, even though the all-rounder hasn’t featured in the cash-rich league, he has enough experience in franchise cricket, having played for the MI franchise in SA20 and Major League Cricket.