Kusal Mendis is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who plays in all formats of the game and is a former ODI captain of Sri Lanka. He played only sixteen first-class matches before representing the national team. In November 2017, he was named Sri Lanka’s ODI Batsman of the Year for the 2016–17 season at Sri Lanka Cricket’s annual awards.
In October 2020, he was drafted by the Kandy Tuskers for the first Lanka Premier League season. In November 2021, he was selected for the Galle Gladiators in the 2021 Lanka Premier League players’ draft, and in July 2022, he was signed again by the Galle Gladiators for the third edition of the tournament.
On 7 February 2023, Mendis was signed by Pretoria Capitals for the SA20 tournament in South Africa, and against Paarl Royals, he scored 80 runs off 41 balls with 8 boundaries and 4 sixes, helping Capitals win by 59 runs and winning the Player of the Match award.
Kusal Mendis Records and Achievement
Kusal Mendis played only 16 first-class innings before making his Test debut at the age of 20. Before his debut, he had scored only one first-class century, but he still went on to score a maiden Test hundred soon after entering international cricket.
His most famous early achievement was his 176 against Australia at Pallekele, which completely changed the match. In that game, no other batter scored more than 55, which made Mendis’ innings one of the greatest performances ever by a Sri Lankan batter.
He started his first-class career with Bloomfield Cricket Club during the 2015 Premier League Tournament. In his first season, he scored 459 runs with an average of 30.60. He was named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the West Indies series in October 2015, and he made his international debut in the second match of that series.
One of the biggest moments of his early career came on 28 July 2016, when he scored his maiden Test century against Australia in the first Test at Pallekele Cricket Stadium. He became the youngest Sri Lankan to score a century against Australia, and also registered the highest score against Australia on home soil.
Kusal Mendis Career Stats
Kusal Mendis has played 73 Test matches, scoring 4757 runs. He has hit 10 centuries and 22 fifties. In ODIs, he has played 154 matches and scored 4890 runs. He has made 6 hundreds and 35 fifties, with 503 fours and 77 sixes.
In T20Is, Mendis has played 103 matches and scored 2593 runs. He has scored 0 centuries and 20 fifties. In bowling, Kusal Mendis has taken 1 wicket in Tests from 73 matches, with best bowling of 1/10. In ODIs, he has played 154 matches but has taken 0 wickets.
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 73 | 4757 | 10 | 22 | 572 | 52 |
| ODIs | 154 | 4890 | 6 | 35 | 503 | 77 |
| T20Is | 103 | 2593 | 0 | 20 | 234 | 97 |
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 73 | 1 | 1/10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 154 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 103 | – | – | – | – | – |
Kusal Mendis’s Personal Life
Kusal Mendis’s full name is Balapuwaduge Kusal Gimhan Mendis. He was born on February 2, 1995, in Moratuwa, which is a large suburb near Colombo. He comes from a poor family background. His father works as a carpenter, and Kusal has often credited his father as his biggest support and inspiration in life.
During his school cricket days, he became one of the most promising young players in Sri Lanka. He played for Prince of Wales College, and because of his strong performances, he won the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 2013. He started his first-class cricket journey in 2015, when he made his first-class debut for Bloomfield Cricket Club in the Premier League Tournament.
Kusal Mendis Contract
Kusal Mendis was signed in the PSL 2026 auction after a major bidding war between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. Both teams kept increasing their bids, making it one of the biggest moments of the auction. In the end, Peshawar Zalmi won the bid and bought Kusal Mendis for 4.2 crore PKR.
FAQs
Q. What was Kusal Mendis’ famous Test innings against Australia?
A. Kusal Mendis scored 176 against Australia at Pallekele.
Q. What award did Kusal Mendis win during his school cricket days?
A. Kusal Mendis won the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 2013.
Q. Which club did Kusal Mendis start his first-class career with?
A. Kusal Mendis began his first-class career with Bloomfield Cricket Club in 2015.
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