Dilshan Madushanka to miss initial stages of IPL 2024

Fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the remainder of the Bangladesh tour due to a hamstring injury, and as a result, he will miss the initial stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The pacer was bought by Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 4.6 crore in the auction and was expected to form a formidable pace attack along with Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar and Nuwan Thushara.

In a statement on Sunday (March 17), Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) said that he had suffered a left hamstring injury and would return home to start his rehabilitation. "We got the report on his injury only today [Sunday], and it shows a small tear," Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda said. 

"It's a new injury. We're not yet sure how long it will take for him to recover, but he'll have to be assessed again when he goes home by the medical team at the high-performance centre. For now, we know he's out of the ODI tomorrow for sure."

In the second ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram, which Sri Lanka won by three wickets to level the series, Madushanka picked up a couple of wickets but went off the field after bowling just 6.4 overs.

MI have another injury to worry about as South Africa Gerald Coetzee is believed to be recovering from a groin injury, although he has joined the team, and is being closely monitored by the medical team. He has not played competitive cricket since the Boxing Day Test against India and consequently also missed the SA20.

MI kick-start their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday (March 24) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.