Bengaluru, March 27 Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered another setback on the eve of the IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with pacer Nuwan Thushara ruled out of the initial phase of the event starting here on Saturday.
RCB has already lost Yash Dayal, and questions remain about Josh Hazlewood's participation in the beginning of the league.
According to a Cricinfo report, the pacer was ruled out after failing a mandatory Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) fitness test. He was denied a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the SLC after failing to meet the required fitness standards.
According to the report, Thushara failed to score the minimum 17 out of 29 points in the SLC fitness test.
The 31-year-old played a solitary match in the previous season. However, in that game, Thushara impressed with figures of 1/26 in four overs against Lucknow Super Giants, who scored 230.
RCB will play their second game against Chennai Super Kings on April 5 in Bengaluru.
Thushara will be allowed to reappear for the test after four-five days, but if he fails that too, he could be ruled out of the entire season.