Bhanuka Rajapaksa Biography

Full Name	Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Date of Birth	24 October 1991
Birthplace	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Age	30 years old
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Role	Batsman
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right arm medium
ODI Debut	18 July 2021 vs India
T20 Debut	5 October 2019 vs Pakistan
Test Debut	NA

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Early life

Rajapaksa started his cricket career as a Royal College Colombo student. As a batsman and a solid medium pace bowler, he was an important member of the Royal College team. Squash and swimming are two of his other favorite sports. Rajapaksa was named as a batsman for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. With 253 runs, he finished the tournament as Sri Lanka’s best run scorer.

In 2009, he led the U19 team on a tour of Australia, slamming 154 off 111 balls in the second U19 ODI and finishing the series as the leading run-scorer. He compares himself to Adam Gilchrist in terms of batting style. His 154* is the second-highest individual score in U19 ODI cricket for Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa made history by being the first Sri Lankan U19 cricketer to hit 150 runs in an ODI innings. He was also the first Sri Lankan U19 player to score 1000 runs in one-day internationals.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Domestic Career

Rajapaksa began his domestic cricket career with the Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lanka and has also played for the Barisal Blazers in Bangladesh’s NCL T20 Bangladesh. He was picked to Galle’s squad for the 2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament in April 2018.

In August 2018, he was picked by Kandy’s SLC T20 League team. Bhanuka was also selected by Dambulla for the 2019 Super Provincial One Day Tournament in March 2019.

Rajapaksa hit 19 sixes and 22 boundaries in a career-high of 268 in 173 balls for BRC against Ports Authorities at Moors Grounds during the 2019 Premier League season. He was selected by the Galle Gladiators for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League in October 2020. Bhanuka was picked to the SLC Greys team for the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League event in August 2021. Following the players’ drought for the 2021 Lanka Premier League, he was selected to play for the Galle Gladiators in November 2021.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa International Career

Bhanukawas picked for Sri Lanka‘s Twenty20 International (T20I) team for the series against Pakistan in Pakistan in September 2019. On 5 October 2019, he made his T20I debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan, scoring 32 runs off 22 balls in a 64-run victory. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 35 runs in the second match, with Rajapaksa scoring 77 runs off 48 balls.

For his splendid batting performance, he was named player of the match. He was later named in Sri Lanka’s squad for their series against India in July 2021. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Sri Lanka versus India on July 18, 2021. Rajapaksa was picked by Sri Lanka’s team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in September 2021.

Rajapaksa announced his international retirement at the age of 30 in a letter to the SLC on January 5, 2022, citing:”I have carefully evaluated my position as a player and husband, and I am making this decision in anticipation of fatherhood and the responsibilities that come with it,” However, at the request of the Sports Minister, he rescinded his resignation letter on January 13, 2022.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa IPL Career

He was purchased by the Punjab Kings in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League season in February 2022.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Career Batting Stats

Left-Handed Batsman

Format	M	Inn	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s

ODI 2021–	5	5	0	89	65	17.8	85	104.7	0	1	14	2

T20I 2019–	18	15	3	320	77	26.7	235	136.2	0	2	25	18

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Career Bowling Stats

Right-Arm Medium Bowler

Format

Inn

Mdn

Runs

Econ

Avg

ODI

2021–

–

T20I

2019–

–

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Social media

Bhanuka Rajapaksa :Bhanuka Rajapaksa