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Sri Lanka has added leg spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth in place of injured Wanindu Hasaranga to their T20I squad for the T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe, starting on Tuesday.
The development was confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Wanindu Hasaranga suffered a hamstring injury during the second ODI of the three-match series against Pakistan. Although Hasaranga has not been ruled out, Sri Lanka selectors have drafted Vijayakanth Viyaskanth into the T20I squad. "Sri Lanka Cricket selectors have included leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth in the National Men's Squad for the T20I Tri-Series in Pakistan. He will travel to Pakistan directly from Qatar, where he was part of the Sri Lanka 'A' Team competing in the 'Asia Cup Rising Stars' Tournament. Viyaskanth has been drafted into the squad as Wanindu Hasaranga is yet to fully recover from the hamstring tightness he suffered during the ODI series," SLC said in an official statement. The veteran Hasaranga missed the third ODI as Sri Lanka suffered a 3-0 whitewash defeat against the Men in Green. Viyaskanth will directly travel to Pakistan from Qatar, where the leg spinner is part of the Sri Lanka A side, featuring in the ongoing Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. The 23-year-old Viyaskanth came into the limelight in December 2020, when he became the youngest player (18 years and 364 days) to play the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLC). He played for Jaffna Stallions. The leg spinner was also the second-highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 league in August 2025. He made his T20I debut for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan during the Asian Games 2023 at Hangzhou. The 23-year-old got a chance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as a replacement player during the 2024 edition. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth played three games for SRH in IPL 2024 and scalped one wicket. Overall in 59 T20 games, Viyaskanth has scalped 67 wickets at an average of 20.98. He has one four-wicket haul to his name in the shortest format. For the T20I tri-series, Sri Lanka will miss their regular captain Charith Asalanka. The veteran flew home with an illness. In place of Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka will be the stand-in captain. Sri Lanka will play their opening game of the T20I tri-series on November 20 against Zimbabwe. (ANI)
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