Kusal Mendis is a Sri Lankan international cricketer who bats right-handed and plays as a wicketkeeper-batter. He has represented Sri Lanka in Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). His career includes a match-winning 176 against Australia, a Test double-century against Ireland and international captaincy.
Kusal Mendis at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1995 |
| Age | 31, as of 12 November 2026 |
| Birthplace | Moratuwa, Sri Lanka |
| National team | Sri Lanka |
| Batting style | Right-handed |
| Playing role | Wicketkeeper-batter |
His birth date, birthplace and playing style are recorded in the ICC’s 2019 Cricket World Cup team guide.
Early cricket and the under-19 team
Mendis’s documented route into international cricket includes school and age-group recognition. The ICC’s World Cup guide records that he was named the 2013 Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year. In January 2014, the ICC confirmed him as Sri Lanka’s captain for the Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, following his leadership of the side at the Under-19 Asia Cup.
International debuts
Cricket Australia’s player profile records his senior international debut dates:
- Test: 22 October 2015.
- ODI: 16 June 2016.
- T20I: 5 July 2016.
These dates distinguish the start of his career in each format. Test matches, 50-over ODIs and 20-over T20Is have separate statistical records.
Landmark innings
- 176 against Australia, Pallekele, July 2016: his maiden Test century became the central batting contribution to Sri Lanka’s 106-run victory. The ICC’s match report records both his innings and the result.
- 245 against Ireland, Galle, April 2023: his Test double-century helped Sri Lanka complete a 2–0 series win. The ICC’s subsequent rankings release records his score.
- 143 against New Zealand, November 2024: the ICC described this as his career-best ODI score following Sri Lanka’s home series victory.
International statistics: a dated snapshot
The table reproduces the published totals in Cricket Australia’s statistics section, checked on 12 November 2026. The Test line is the 75-match snapshot recorded before the November Pakistan series; it does not include the ongoing Test described below.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Highest score | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 75 | 4,836 | 245 | 10 | 23 |
| ODI | 164 | 5,283 | 143 | 7 | 37 |
| T20I | 112 | 2,791 | 87 | 0 | 21 |
“100s” and “50s” count centuries and half-centuries. These career totals are separate from tournament statistics and can change as further matches are recorded.
Captaincy and November 2026 update
In May 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket reported his return to white-ball captaincy. On 8 October 2026, the board announced his appointment as Test captain, with the two-match Pakistan series designated as his first assignment. That announcement recorded 75 Test appearances at the time.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s report of 11 November 2026 described Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva as unbeaten centurions at the end of the third day of the first Test in Rawalpindi. This was an in-progress match report, not a final result.
Franchise cricket and the South African connection
In South Africa’s SA20 league, the official SA20 player page lists seven matches for Pretoria Capitals in 2023, with 223 runs, a highest score of 80 and a strike rate of 148.67.
In India, the IPL announced on 15 May 2025 that Gujarat Titans had selected him as Jos Buttler’s replacement, effective from 26 May 2025. The signing was a replacement arrangement for the end of the 2025 season.
Sources reviewed: 12 November 2026. Explore more sports profiles in our Biography Library.
