According to an ESPNCricinfo report, Dilshan has pulled out due to family commitments. The Lankan T20 outfit are now without two of their primary players as Lasith Malinga has opted to play for Mumbai Indians instead of home franchise.
"Not having Malinga is a bit of a blow for us as he was a part of the team in Colombo," Southern Express manager Shane Fernando was quoted as saying by the website.
Dilshan became the third high-profile player to pull-out after Rohit Sharma and Morne Morkel were forced to opt out because of injuries.