Star Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Eshan Malinga has suffered a shoulder injury ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The injury happened during the second T20I match against England in Pallekele.

The 24-year-old fast bowler is one of Sri Lanka’s rising players and is now racing against time to be fit for the World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Malinga was injured in the eighth over of England’s chase after a rain break. He twisted his left shoulder while bowling and fell to the ground in pain. He received medical help and later left the field. Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the injury and said that Malinga will return to Colombo for an MRI scan to check how serious the injury is.

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SLC gives update on Eshan Malinga’s injury

Sri Lanka Cricket said that Eshan Malinga will return to Colombo for an MRI scan. The scan will help doctors understand how serious the shoulder injury is and decide the next steps.

This injury is a big setback for Malinga. He earned his place in the Sri Lanka team after a strong IPL 2025 season. Since his T20I debut in November, he has taken eight wickets in eight matches and impressed with his pace and control.

With Sri Lanka yet to announce their final 15-member World Cup squad, Malinga’s place is now uncertain. Any change after the January 31 deadline will need approval from the ICC. For now, Sri Lanka has not named a direct replacement, but Pramod Madushan is likely to be used if needed.

Dasun Shanaka reacts after the series loss

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka spoke after his team lost the T20I series against England. He said Malinga’s injury had an effect on the match.

Shanaka said the team did many things right and did not blame the rain. He added that losing Malinga midway hurt the team, as he is a strong bowler at the death. He also praised the batting effort.

Sri Lanka were defending a total of 189 runs, but Malinga’s injury proved costly. He bowled only eight balls before leaving the field. England batter Tom Banton was named Player of the Match for his fine half-century.

Sri Lanka didn’t have a great time ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 as their pacer has been ruled out of the event after picking up the injury during the home three-match T20I series against England. This is the final preparation for the co-host and the Three Lions right before the competition. England has sealed the series already by a 2-0 insurmountable margin.  

It was a rain-affected game at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, where the massive blow came after the rain delay when Eshan Malinga dislocated his shoulder on the very first ball after the break. The bowler slips a high full toss and tumbles onto the ground instantly, clutching his left shoulder.

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That ball was tucked into the deep square for a single, but the bowler looked in serious pain. The physio came out to check the condition before he was helped off the field. It has been reported that he would miss the tournament with the shoulder injury, and he will travel to Colombo for scans.

Eshan Malinga likely to miss T20 World Cup 2026 for Sri Lanka

Malinga is expected to be out of action for nearly six to eight weeks. It’s a setback for the team as they look for a few replacements in the event. Dilshan Madushanka is a probable name that has come out of the list with the left-arm pacer picking 15 wickets in 15 innings of the shortest format at an economy rate of 9.75. However, his last T20I came in July 2024 against India at Kandy.

Eshan Malinga is likely to be ruled out of World Cup after dislocating his shoulder last night. The player will travel to Colombo for scans and it’s believed he will be out of action for four to six weeks. Either Dilshan Madushanka or Pramod Madushan is likely to replace him.

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) February 2, 2026

Another option for them will be Pramod Madhusan, who has bagged 12 wickets in eight T20I innings at an economy rate of 8.63. However, he is also not a regular member of the national side in the shortest format, with the previous assignment being in April 2023 against New Zealand in Queenstown.

Sri Lanka will begin their campaign on February 08 at the R. Premadasa Stadium against Ireland before heading to Kandy for the morning fixture against Oman on February 12. Their third game will be against Australia at the same venue before returning to Colombo against Zimbabwe.

The 24-year-old Sri Lankan right-arm fast bowler Eshan Malinga made his IPL debut on Saturday evening (April 12), when his team SunRisers Hyderabad were hosting in-form Punjab Kings. Eshan impressed on his first outing in the IPL, while his team was struggling heavily. 

While SRH bowlers were thrashed in the powerplay, Eshan Malinga controlled the game impressively on his IPL debut. He started to bowl in the first over after the powerplay, while Punjab Kings were batting at 89/1. In his first over, Eshan conceded only three runs and took the wicket of dangerous-looking opener Prabhsimran Singh, who scored 42 off 23 balls with seven fours and one six. 

In his second over, despite conceding two sixes, Eshan wasn’t very bad. The Sri Lankan pacer started his new spell in the 14th over of the innings, where he luckily got a wicket of Nehal Wadhera (27 runs in 22 balls) after conceding a four. In his final over, which was the 17th over of the innings, Eshan conceded four fours, including in the last three deliveries. He ended with the bowling figures of 4-0-45-2.

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Who is Eshan Malinga?

Eshan Malinga is a Sri Lankan right-arm fast-medium bowler who was born on February 4, 2001. He has already made his international debut, as he has played five ODIs for Sri Lanka. While he has taken four ODI wickets, he picked up three wickets (3/35) against New Zealand in the Auckland ODI last January. It was his third ODI, and Sri Lanka won that match by 140 runs after bundling out New Zealand for only 150 runs. 

Eshan has played 16 first-class matches, 17 List A games, and 16 T20s, where he picked up 39, 24, and 17 wickets, respectively.

Eshan Malinga already experienced SA20

Eshan serves for the Ragama Cricket Club in his domestic career. He played one match in the Lanka Premier League 2024 for Jaffna Kings. In the SA20 2024-25, he played for Paarl Royals, where he took four wickets in three matches. 

IPL 2025 auction: Eshan Malinga's winning bid price

In the IPL 2025 mega auction, SunRisers Hyderabad won Eshan’s bid for INR 1.20 crore, while his base price was INR 30 lakh. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the 17-member men’s squad for the upcoming three-match away ODI series against the hosts New Zealand. New IPL joinee Eshan Malinga has earned the national team call-up for the forthcoming ODI series. 

Sri Lanka are ready for the white-ball series against the hosts New Zealand. After the three-match T20I series, which will run between December 28, 2024, and January 2, 2025, they will battle in the three-match ODI series. Wellington, Hamilton, and Auckland will host the ODIs on January 5, 8, and 11, respectively.

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Eshan Malinga earned national team call-up

The 23-year-old Sri Lankan right-arm fast-medium bowler Eshan Malinga has earned his maiden national team call-up. Recently, he was in the news after SunRisers Hyderabad bought him for INR 1.20 crore for IPL 2025. 

Eshan has taken 20 wickets in 12 List A games and 13 wickets in 13 T20s. Also, he has picked up 39 wickets in 16 first-class cricket. In the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024-25 last October, the fast bowler took six wickets in five matches. 

Dilshan Madushanka dropped, Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga returned

The 24-year-old left-arm Dilshan Madushanka has been dropped from the ODI squad. While he was the third-leading wicket-taker in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India with 21 wickets, he picked up 14 wickets in 11 ODIs in 2024. 

While Lahiru Kumara has returned to the ODI format, Nuwanidu Fernando joined the Lankan ODI squad at the cost of Sadeera Samarawickrama’s drop. All-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has returned to the ODI squad after recovering from injury.

Sri Lanka aren’t in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, it will be a good preparation for the hosts New Zealand, who will also participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting in February 2025.

Sri Lankan full ODI squad for New Zealand tour

Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz, Lahiru Kumara, Eshan Malinga