| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Balapuwaduge Kusal Gimhan Mendis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-02-02)2 February 1995 (age 31) Moratuwa, Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armleg break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper-batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 132) | 22 October 2015 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 25 June 2025 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 170) | 16 June 2016 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 14 February 2025 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 66) | 8 July 2016 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 28 September 2025 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Bloomfield C&AC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Colombo Cricket Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Kandy Tuskers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Galle Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Comilla Victorians | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Dambulla Aura | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Pretoria Capitals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Chattogram Challengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Quetta Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Gujarat Titans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025/26 | Noakhali Express | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source:Cricinfo,28 September 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balapuwaduge Kusal Gimhan Mendis (born 2 February 1995) is a professional Sri Lankancricketer who plays in all forms of the game and a former ODI captain of the national team.[1] He only played sixteenfirst-class matches before playing for the national side. In November 2017, he was named theOne Day International (ODI) batsman of the year for the 2016–17 season atSri Lanka Cricket's annual awards.[2]
In 2013, Mendis was adjudged as theschoolboy cricketer of the year and had captained the national youth and thePrince of Wales College, Moratuwa teams in his formative years.[1][3][4]
In March 2018, Mendis was named in Dambulla's squad for the2017–18 Super Four Provincial Tournament.[5][6] In the following month, he was also named in Dambulla's squad for the2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament.[7] In August 2018, Mendis was named to Galle's squad for the 2018 SLC T20 League.[8] He was the leading run-scorer for Galle in the tournament, where he scored 182 runs in six matches.[9] In March 2019, he was named in Galle's squad for the2019 Super Provincial One Day Tournament.[10]
During the2019–20 Premier League Tournament, Mendis scored 139 againstRagama Cricket Club, where Colombo Cricket Club won the match by an innings and 125 runs.[11] In 2020, Mendis scored his maiden first-class double-century againstNondescripts Cricket Club and helped to draw the match.[12][13] In the final match againstChilaw Marians Cricket Club, Mendis scored another century, with 157 runs, where the match ended in a draw.[14]
In October 2020, Mendis was drafted by theKandy Tuskers for theinaugural edition of theLanka Premier League.[15] In November 2021, he was selected to play for theGalle Gladiators following the players' draft for the2021 Lanka Premier League.[16] In July 2022, he was signed by theGalle Gladiators for thethird edition of theLanka Premier League.[17]
On 7 February 2023, Mendis was signed toPretoria Capitals in theSA20 cricket tournament in South Africa. AgainstPaarl Royals, he scored 80 runs from 41 deliveries hitting 8 boundaries and four sixes, where Capitals won the match by 59 runs and Mendis won the player of the match award.[18]
In 2014, Mendis was named as the captain for the2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. After strong performances in U-19 career, Mendis became the 132nd Test player for Sri Lanka, after gaining his cap during the second Test ofSobers-Tissera Trophyagainst West Indies. He scored 13 runs in the first innings and 39 runs in the second innings.[19] Then in 2016, Mendis was named in the Sri Lanka squad for thetour of England. In the first Test, he got a duck in the first innings, but scored his maiden test half-century with 53 runs in the second innings.
Mendis made hisOne Day International (ODI) debutagainst Ireland on 16 June 2016, and scored his maiden ODI fifty.[20] In the same tour, Mendis made hisTwenty20 International (T20I) debut for Sri Lankaagainst England on 5 July 2016.[21]
On 28 July 2016, Mendis scored his maiden Test century during the first Testagainst Australia at thePallekele Cricket Stadium. He became the youngest Sri Lankan to score a century against Australia and also the highest score against Australia on home soil.[clarification needed][22] Sri Lanka won the match by 106 runs, which was only their second Test win against Australia. Mendis won the Man of the Match award for his performance.
In the fifth match of theTri-series in Zimbabwe against the West Indies, Mendis scored match-winning 94 runs and made 94-run partnership withNiroshan Dickwella. Sri Lanka later posted 330 runs off 50 overs, which was recorded as the highest total by Sri Lanka against the West Indies. Sri Lanka won the match by one run and reached the final, where Mendis won the man of the match award.[23] In the final against Zimbabwe, Mendis scored another fifty, guiding the team to win the series by 6 wickets. His all-round performances in the series gave him his first Player of the series award.[24]
On the first Testagainst Bangladesh at Galle in 2017, Mendis scored his second Test century, just falling short 6 runs for his double hundred.[25][26] On 28 March 2017, in the second ODIagainst Bangladesh, Mendis scored his maiden ODI century, with 102 runs. However, the match ended with a no result, due to heavy rain.[27]
On 8 June 2017, against India inthe 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Mendis scored a match-winning 89 runs and made a 159-run stand for the second wicket withDanushka Gunathilaka.[28] In the match, Sri Lanka chased 321 runs scored by India, by recording the highest successful run chase in Champion's Trophy history.[29] This was Sri Lanka's joint-highest chase, and their first successful 300-plus chase since the 2015 World Cup as well.[30] On 30 June 2017,against Zimbabwe, Mendis passed 1,000 ODI runs, becoming the joint second-fastest withUpul Tharanga for Sri Lanka to achieve this.[31]
During the first Testagainst Bangladesh in 2018, Mendis scored his fourth Test hundred on his 23rd birthday. Mendis along withDhananjaya de Silva scored a 308-run partnership to the second wicket until De Silva was dismissed for 173 runs. However, Mendis was dismissed for 196 runs, four runs short of his maiden double century.[32][33][34] His score of 196, however, made him the second Sri Lankan afterKumar Sangakkara to get out in the 190s at least twice.[35]
After good performances in Tests against Bangladesh, Mendis was named to the T20I squad for Sri Lanka by replacing injuredKusal Perera.[36] In the first match, he scored a match-winning knock of 53 from 27 balls. Bangladesh scored 193 in their 20 overs, which was then their highest T20I total. Mendis opened the innings withDanushka Gunathilaka and they added 53 for the first wicket in just 4.5 overs. Then Mendis scored his first T20I fifty and Sri Lanka won the match by 6 wickets. The chase of 193 is recorded as the highest T20I chase by Sri Lanka as well and Mendis was adjudged man of the match.[37] In the second T20I, Mendis scored another match-winning half-century and Sri Lanka posted 210 in their 20 overs. This is Sri Lanka's highest T20I score against Bangladesh. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match and series 2-0 and Mendis was awarded with both man of the match and player of the series.[38][39]
In May 2018, he was one of 33 cricketers to be awarded a national contract bySri Lanka Cricket ahead of the 2018–19 season.[40][41]
Mendis was totally out of form during the2018 Asia Cup, where he was dismissed for naught in both games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. His place in the team was in doubt with poor performances, and he was omitted from theEngland tour in Sri Lanka.[42] But during the ODI series, Mendis was called into the squad for the remainder of the series against England, as a replacement forKusal Perera, who suffered a quad strain in the second ODI.[43] In his comeback match, he was again dismissed for naught. In the fourth ODI, he batted in the middle order and scored only 5 runs and England won the series 3–0. In the last match, Mendis batted in the number-4 position. After 24 innings without a fifty, he scored a 30-ball half-century in the match with 6 huge sixes. Sri Lanka won the match by 219 runs in the DLS method.[44]
During the first Testagainst New Zealand in late 2018, Mendis scored his sixth Test century. Mendis along withAngelo Mathews batted all over the fourth day, which was the fifth time that the Sri Lankan pair had done that in Test history. On the fifth day, they put on an unbeaten double-century partnership which overall lasted for 115 wicketless overs for New Zealanders. With rain interruption, the match ended in a draw.[45] The partnership of 246, was also Sri Lanka's highest for any wicket against New Zealand and also Sri Lanka's highest in the second innings of a Test.[46] It was the first time a Sri Lankan pair had added 200-plus runs in the second innings of a Test outside Asia.[47]
In the second Test, Mendis reached 1,000 Test runs in the calendar year 2018. He became only the second player afterVirat Kohli to achieve the feat.[48] He finished 2018 as the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with 1,023 runs at an average of 46.50, including three centuries and four fifties.[49] During the two-match Test seriesagainst South Africa, Mendis continued his poor form with the bat with scores 0, 12 and 16. However, his fielding efforts at slip improved in each innings. In the second innings of the second test at Port Elizabeth, Mendis scored his 9th test fifty and put on an unbeaten partnership of 163 runs off 213 balls with newcomerOshada Fernando to win the match by 8 wickets.[50] Eventually, Sri Lanka won the series 2-0 and Mendis was adjudged man of the match.[51] It was the first Test series won by Sri Lanka in South Africa and Sri Lanka became the first Asian team to win a test series in South Africa.[52]
In April 2019, he was named inSri Lanka's squad for the2019 Cricket World Cup.[53][54] On 1 September 2019, during the first T20Iagainst New Zealand, he scored a quick 79 runs off 53 balls to set a target of 174.[55] However, Sri Lanka lost the match. In the last over of the second T20I, he had a collision withShehan Jayasuriya at the boundary line. Jayasuriya was running from long-on, and Mendis from midwicket, in order to intercept an aerialMitchell Santner, he tripped up by the onrushing Mendis, and was sent crashing into the boundary. Both players picked up knee injuries and rested from the third T20I.[56]
During the first Testagainst Zimbabwe on 19 January 2020, Mendis scored his eleventh fifty. He made 80 runs off 163 deliveries in the match and had a strong partnership with eventual double-centurionAngelo Mathews.[57] Sri Lanka went on to win the match by 10 wickets.[58] In the second Test, Mendis scored his seventh century with an unbeaten 116 in the second innings, with Sri Lanka winning the series 1–0.[59]
On 25 February 2020,against the West Indies, Mendis scored his second ODI century. Along withAvishka Fernando, they made a 239-run partnership for the third wicket, with Sri Lanka eventually making 345/8. West Indies collapsed in the chase and Sri Lanka won the match by 161 runs.[60] This was the biggest win in terms of runs against the West Indies by Sri Lanka in ODIs, with Sri Lanka taking an unassailable lead in the series.[61]
On 28 June 2021,Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) suspended Mendis,Danushka Gunathilaka andNiroshan Dickwella after they breached the team'sbio-secure bubble during Sri Lanka'stour of England.[62] All three players were seen in the city centre ofDurham,[63] with SLC sending them all back home ahead of the ODI matches.[64] In July 2021, following the outcome of the incident, Mendis was suspended from playing in international cricket for one year.[65] Sri Lanka Cricket agreed to lift the ban early, rescinding the punishment in January 2022.[66]
On 20 February 2022, Mendis scored a match-winning sixth T20I half-centuryagainst Australia. His unbeaten 69 runs helped Sri Lanka to win the match by five wickets, with him being named the player of the match.[67] On 23 May 2022, he was hospitalized after leaving the field holding his chest minutes before lunch on the first day of the second Testagainst Bangladesh. The doctors "suspect muscle spasms" as the reason for his discomfort but an ECG test has "come out clear".[68][69]
In theAustralian Test series in July 2022, Sri Lanka suffered a huge defeat, with the match ending in three days.[70] Mendis scored just 3 and 8 runs in the match. However, on 9 July 2022, in the second Test, Mendis scored 85 runs in a partnership of 152 withDimuth Karunaratne.[71] On 1 September 2022,against Bangladesh Kusal Mendis scored his 7th T20I half-century. He scored 60 runs while chasing 183 runs. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match and Kusal Mendis won the player of the match award for his performance.[72]
During the2022 Asia Cup, Mendis played as the opener withPathum Nissanka and they made match-winning partnerships in the games against Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India.[73] Against Bangladesh, Mendis made a match-winning knock of 60 runs and Sri Lanka finally chased the target of 183 runs with one wicket.[74] However, Mendis had four clear chances and won by luck.[75] On 6 September 2022 against India, Mendis scored his 8th T20I half-century. He scored 57 runs and put up a strong 97-run partnership withPathum Nissanka while chasing 173 runs. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by 6 wickets.[76]
In the first round inT20I World Cup 2022, against Netherlands, Mendis scored the 9th T20I half-century and made 79 runs in 44 balls hitting five boundaries and five sixes. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by 16 runs and qualified for Super 12, where Mendis won the Player of the match award for his performance.[77] In the first match in Super 12s inT20 World Cup 2022, against Ireland, Mendis scored his 10th T20I half-century and surpassed 1000 T20I runs. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by 9 wickets and Mendis won the Player of the Match award.[78]
On 5 January 2023,against India, Mendis scored his 11th T20I half-century and eventually Sri Lanka won the match by 16 runs.[79] In March 2023, in the first testagainst New Zealand, Mendis scored the fastest half-century and scored 87 off 83 balls. However, in the second test, he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and scored a half-century in the second innings. On 8 April 2023, in the third T20I match against New Zealand, Mendis scored his 12th T20I fifty in a losing cause.[80]
On 16 April 2023, in the first test matchagainst Ireland, Mendis scored his 8th test century and put a 281-run partnership for the second wicket withDimuth Karunaratne. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by an innings and 280 runs.[81] During the second test match against Ireland, Mendis scored his maiden test double-century. He scored 245 runs from 291 deliveries hitting 18 boundaries and 11 sixes. He also put a 268-run partnership withNishan Madushka. Finally, Sri Lanka won the match and the series, and Mendis won Player of the Series award for his performance.[82]
Mendis was appointed vice-captain in April 2021 against Bangladesh ODI series. He was also appointed Vice-captain for the T20 series against England. However, he was dropped from the vice-captain position against India home series in September 2021. In December 2022, he was recalled as a Sri Lanka ODI Vice-captain for the India tour 2023.
During the firstWorld Cup match against South Africa, Mendis scored his 26th ODI half-century. He scored 76 runs from 42 balls which included four boundaries and eight sixes. His knock went in vain as Sri Lanka lost the match in a huge margin.[83] On 10 October 2023, against Pakistan, Mendis made his 3rd ODI century and scored 122 runs from 77 deliveries hitting 14 boundaries and 6 sixes. His efforts went in vain against Sri Lanka lost the match.[50]
He was appointed as Sri Lanka's captain after regular skipperDasun Shanaka was ruled out of the 2023 Cricket World Cup after suffering an injury in the game against Pakistan.[84] He scored just 9 runs in his first match as a captain of the Sri Lanka, as they lost to Australia by 5 wickets.[85] In the next game against Netherlands, he led his team to a comfortable win.[86] He also led Sri Lanka to a famous win againstEngland which they won by 8 wickets, although he scored only 11 runs.[87] In the next game againstAfghanistan, Sri Lanka faltered big time, as their opponents eased past them with 7 wickets in hand.[88]
During T20I seriesagainst Bangladesh, he became highest run scorer in the series scoring 181 runs in three matches with average of 60.33 including two half centuries.[89]
In May 2024, he was named in Sri Lanka's squad for the2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.[90] In September 2024 in the second test matchagainst New Zealand, Mendis scored his 10th century. He made an unbeaten century partnership withKamindu Mendis, where Sri Lanka posted a mammoth total of 602 in the first innings. Eventually Sri Lanka won the match by an innings and 154 runs and sealed the series 2–0.[91]
On 17 October 2024against West Indies in the third T20I, Mendis made a match winning knock of an unbeaten 68 runs: his fifteenth fifty in T20Is, where he guided Sri Lanka to the victory and clinched the series 2–1. This is the first bilateral T20I series win over West Indies as well. Later, Mendis won the man of the match award for his batting performance.[92]
In July 2020, Kusal Mendis was involved in a fatal car accident inPanadura, near Colombo. He was driving hisSUV when he struck a 64-year-old man who was riding abicycle. Unfortunately, the man succumbed to his injuries.[93] Mendis was arrested and taken into custody, and his vehicle was also impounded by the police. But police statement made without mention of whether either Mendis or the victim were under the influence of alcohol.[94] A day after the incident, Mendis was released onbail.[95]
In July 2021, Mendis, along withDanushka Gunathilaka andNiroshan Dickwella, was found guilty of breaching the team'sbio-secure bubble duringSri Lanka's tour of England. They were sent back home and faced a one-year ban from international cricket and a six-month ban from domestic cricket.[96] The same trio was also penalized for violating curfew regulations by failing to be in their hotel rooms by 10:30 PM. This breach brought disrepute to Sri Lanka Cricket and resulted in a hefty fine of Sri Lanka Rupees 10 million for each player.[97]
In December 2023, Mendis smashed a glass door at theBloomfield Cricket Club pavilion after being dismissed for a 'duck' during an inter-club match.[97] In March 2024, during anODI against Bangladesh, Mendis, serving as the ODI captain, was fined for verbally abusing the umpires while shaking hands after the match. This incident highlighted concerns over player discipline within the team.[98]
Kusal Mendis has made 16 internationalcenturies- 10 inTest cricket, and 6 inOne Day International (ODI) format.
| No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | Test | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 176 † |  Australia | 4 | 3 | 1/3 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium,Kandy | Home | 26 July 2016 | Won | [100] |
| 2 | 194 † |  Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 1/2 | Galle International Stadium,Galle | Home | 7 March 2017 | Won | [101] |
| 3 | 110 |  India | 3 | 3 | 2/3 | Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground,Colombo | Home | 3 August 2017 | Lost | [102] |
| 4 | 196 | Bangladesh | 3 | 2 | 1/2 | Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium,Chattogram | Away | 31 January 2018 | Drawn | [103] |
| 5 | 102 |  West Indies | 1 | 4 | 1/3 | Queen's Park Oval,Port of Spain | Away | 6 June 2018 | Lost | [104] |
| 6 | 141* |  New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 1/2 | Basin Reserve,Wellington | Away | 15 December 2018 | Drawn | [105] |
| 7 | 116* |  Zimbabwe | 3 | 4 | 2/2 | Harare Sports Club,Harare | Away | 27 January 2020 | Drawn | [106] |
| 8 | 140 |  Ireland | 3 | 1 | 1/2 | Galle International Stadium,Galle | Home | 16 April 2023 | Won | [107] |
| 9 | 245 | Ireland | 3 | 2 | 2/2 | Galle International Stadium,Galle | Home | 24 April 2023 | Won | [108] |
| 10 | 106* | New Zealand | 7 | 1 | 2/2 | Galle International Stadium,Galle | Home | 26 September 2024 | Won | [109] |
| No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | S/R | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 102 | Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 95.32 | Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium,Dambulla | Home | 28 March 2017 | No result | [111] |
| 2 | 119 | West Indies | 4 | 1 | 100.00 | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium,Hambantota | Home | 26 February 2020 | Won | [112] |
| 3 | 122 |  Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 158.44 | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium,Hyderabad | Neutral | 10 October 2023 | Lost | [113] |
| 4 | 143 † | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 111.71 | Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium,Dambulla | Home | 13 November 2024 | Won | [114] |
| 5 | 101 † | Australia | 3 | 1 | 87.82 | R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo | Home | 14 February 2025 | Won | [115] |
| 6 | 124 † | Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 108.77 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium,Kandy | Home | 8 July 2025 | Won | [116] |
On 12 February 2021, Mendis married his wife in Colombo.[117] In June 2022, Mendis' wife gave birth to a baby girl.[118]Kusal has a brother named Balapuwaduge Omesh Lalisha Mendis[119]
