Wanindu Hasaranga IPL Stats, Price, Runs, Age, Century, Debut, Team
Wanindu Hasaranga is Sri Lanka’s premier leg-spinning all-rounder, a wrist-spinner with a deceptive googly and an attacking mindset who became one of the most expensive overseas buys in IPL history. After a quiet two-match debut as a replacement player in 2021, Royal Challengers Bengaluru splurged Rs 10.75 crore on him in the 2022 mega auction, and he repaid that faith with one of the great spin-bowling seasons of the modern IPL.
In 2022, Hasaranga took 26 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 16.54 and an economy of 7.54, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker, just one behind Yuzvendra Chahal. His 5 for 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad that season remains the second-best bowling figures by an RCB bowler in IPL history. It was the peak of an IPL career that has since wound through injuries, releases and new franchises.
After a lean 2023 saw him released by RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for Rs 1.5 crore in 2024, only for an ankle injury to rule him out of the entire season. Rajasthan Royals then paid Rs 5.25 crore for him in the 2025 mega auction, where he took 11 wickets in 11 matches as the franchise’s joint-highest wicket-taker, and Lucknow Super Giants picked him up at his base price of Rs 2 crore for 2026.
Wanindu Hasaranga IPL Career Overview
Across his IPL career, Hasaranga has played 37 matches and taken 46 wickets at an average of 18.85 and an economy of 7.78, with best figures of 5 for 18. He has one five-wicket haul and one four-wicket haul to his name. With the bat he is a handy lower-order hitter, though his IPL batting returns have been modest, with a highest score of 18.
Like many wrist-spinners, his career graph is dominated by one golden season. His 2022 numbers, 26 wickets at 16.54, account for more than half his career tally, and no other season has come close. Yet even in quieter years his economy rate has generally stayed under control, and franchises keep investing in him because his best is genuinely match-winning.
Auction History and Price
Hasaranga first entered the IPL in 2021 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed him as a replacement for Adam Zampa, playing just two matches. His real payday came in the 2022 mega auction, where Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants all bid before RCB won a fierce contest at Rs 10.75 crore, making him one of the most expensive Sri Lankan players in IPL auction history. RCB retained him at the same price for 2023.
After managing only nine wickets in eight matches in 2023, RCB released him. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for Rs 1.5 crore at the 2024 auction, but a left ankle injury ruled him out before the season began. Rajasthan Royals then secured him for Rs 5.25 crore in the 2025 mega auction after a bidding tussle with Mumbai Indians. Released again after one season, he was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for his base price of Rs 2 crore at the 2026 auction.
Season-by-Season Performance
| Season | Team | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Best | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2 | 0 | 10.00 | — | Signed as replacement for Adam Zampa |
| 2022 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 16 | 26 | 7.54 | 5/18 | Second-highest wicket-taker of the season |
| 2023 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 8 | 9 | — | — | Released after the season |
| 2024 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 0 | 0 | — | — | Missed with ankle injury |
| 2025 | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 11 | — | — | Joint-highest wicket-taker for RR |
| 2026 | Lucknow Super Giants | — | — | — | — | Bought at base price of Rs 2 crore |
The 2022 row stands apart: 26 wickets at 16.54 with an economy of 7.54, the season that justified every rupee of that Rs 10.75 crore price tag.
Bowling Style and Strengths
Hasaranga is a right-arm leg-break bowler whose stock ball is backed by one of the sharpest googlies in world cricket. He bowls with a quick, skiddy action and a deceptive release that makes his variations hard to pick, and he is at his most dangerous when there is even slight turn on offer. Batters who try to attack him often find themselves beaten in the flight, which is why he takes wickets in clusters.
He is also a genuine all-rounder in the T20 game. In T20 internationals he has taken over 120 wickets and scored more than 2,300 T20 runs at a strike rate above 145, and his athleticism in the field adds further value. His attacking approach means he can be expensive on flat decks, but captains accept that trade-off for a bowler who hunts wickets rather than containing.
Key Performances
The 5 for 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season is the defining spell of his IPL career and the second-best figures ever recorded by an RCB bowler. It came at the height of his Purple Cap challenge, when he briefly held a share of the lead alongside Yuzvendra Chahal.
That whole 2022 campaign was the performance: 26 wickets in 16 matches, including regular strikes in the middle overs that powered RCB’s run to the playoffs. His 2025 season with Rajasthan Royals was quieter but solid, 11 wickets in 11 matches making him the franchise’s joint-highest wicket-taker, a reminder that even a diminished Hasaranga remains a useful IPL asset.
Teams Played For
Hasaranga’s IPL journey has spanned four franchises. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are where it began and peaked: two matches as a 2021 replacement, then the Rs 10.75 crore star turn across 2022 and 2023. Sunrisers Hyderabad owned his rights in 2024 but never saw him play a game because of the ankle injury.
Rajasthan Royals gave him a fresh start in 2025, pairing him with fellow Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana to form a strong spin duo, and he repaid them as their joint-leading wicket-taker. Lucknow Super Giants are his latest home, picking him up for Rs 2 crore at the 2026 auction.
International Pedigree
Hasaranga arrived in the IPL with serious international credentials. He finished as the highest wicket-taker at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, and his T20I record, more than 120 wickets at an average around 15 with best figures of 4 for 9, marks him as one of the finest short-format spinners of his generation. His ODI best of 7 for 19 is among the great one-day spells by a Sri Lankan.
He played four Tests for Sri Lanka before retiring from red-ball cricket in 2023 at the age of 26 to focus on the white-ball game, and he has captained Sri Lanka’s T20I side. That pedigree is exactly why franchises keep returning to him at auction despite the ups and downs.
FAQs
When did Wanindu Hasaranga make his IPL debut?
Hasaranga made his IPL debut in 2021 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, signed as a replacement for Adam Zampa. He played two matches that season without taking a wicket.
What are Wanindu Hasaranga’s best bowling figures in the IPL?
His best figures are 5 for 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season, the second-best bowling figures by an RCB bowler in IPL history.
Which was Wanindu Hasaranga’s best IPL season?
The 2022 season, when he took 26 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 16.54 and an economy of 7.54, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker behind Yuzvendra Chahal.
How much was Wanindu Hasaranga bought for at his most expensive?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru paid Rs 10.75 crore for him in the 2022 mega auction after a bidding war involving Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants.
Which team does Wanindu Hasaranga play for now?
He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for his base price of Rs 2 crore at the 2026 IPL auction, after playing the 2025 season for Rajasthan Royals.
Rivcky John
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