Lucknow Super Giants included George Linde in the team in place of injured Wanindu Hasaranga, will play IPL for the first time.

Lucknow Super Giants have made a big change in their team in IPL 2026. In fact, after the injury to Sri Lankan star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, the franchise has included South African all-rounder George Linde in the team. Hasaranga has not fully recovered from the hamstring injury sustained during the T20 World Cup 2026, due to which he has been ruled out of the entire IPL season.

Actually, Lucknow Super Giants issued an official statement saying that Wanindu Hasaranga is suffering from hamstring injury. He suffered this injury during the T20 World Cup 2026 and till now he has not been fully fit. For this reason he had to be out of IPL 2026. Hasaranga’s exclusion is being considered a big blow for the team, as he is known for his leg spin bowling and fast batting in the lower order.

George Linde is South Africa’s experienced all-rounder.

George Linde, who was included in the team in place of Hasaranga, is an experienced all-rounder from South Africa. He mainly bowls off-spin, but also has the ability to make important contributions to the team while batting. Linde has played 37 matches for South Africa in international T20 cricket, in which he has taken 35 wickets. Apart from bowling, George Linde is also a reliable batsman. He has scored 403 runs in his international T20 career. His ability to score fast runs in the lower middle order can prove to be very useful for the team. The presence of such an all-rounder in the T20 format strengthens the balance of the team.

Will play IPL for the first time

This will be George Linde’s first time in IPL. In the IPL 2026 auction, he had kept his base price at Rs 1 crore, but at that time no franchise came forward to buy him and he remained unsold. Now after Hasaranga’s exit, he has got a chance to debut in IPL for Lucknow Super Giants.

However, Linde has good experience of franchise cricket. He has played in major T20 leagues such as SA20 and Major League Cricket. In these leagues, he has also played for the franchise associated with Mumbai Indians, which has given him the experience of playing under the pressure of big tournaments.

According to sources, Lucknow Super Giants management had considered the names of several players as replacement for Hasaranga. Afghanistan’s spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and England’s all-rounder Liam Dawson were also in the news for the team. However, in the end the team management decided to include George Linde in the team considering his all-round abilities and his current form.

If we look at George Linde’s T20 career, his figures have been quite impressive. He has played more than 250 T20 matches so far. In these matches, he has taken 218 wickets, while scoring 2,746 runs in batting. His strike rate has been more than 136 and he also has four half-centuries in his name in T20 cricket.