Kamindu Mendis Makes IPL Debut Amid High Hopes for Sunrisers Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, India — Kamindu Mendis, a 26-year-old all-rounder from Sri Lanka, made his much-anticipated debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 3, 2025.

Mendis became the fourth Sri Lankan to join Sunrisers Hyderabad, following in the footsteps of legendary players Kumar Sangakkara, Thisara Perera, and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. His selection comes on the heels of a distinguished performance in international cricket, where he was named the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year for 2024 after scoring 1,458 runs in international matches.

He made his Test debut against Australia in 2022, scoring a commendable 61 in his only innings, yet that match turned out to be his sole appearance in Test cricket until March 2024. Over the subsequent year, Mendis established himself as a formidable player, accumulating five Test centuries, including a standout performance against England in Manchester.

Though Mendis has played 23 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), he has yet to make a significant impact, averaging 19.05 with only two half-centuries and a strike rate of 122.5.

One of Mendis’s unique attributes is his ambidextrous bowling ability; he can bowl with both his left and right hands. During India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2024, Mendis showcased this skill by bowling off-spin to India’s Rishabh Pant while using left-arm spin against Suryakumar Yadav.

Before his rise in senior cricket, Mendis represented Sri Lanka in the 2016 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, taking five wickets, including that of Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

The playing XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad included Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins, Simarjeet Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, and Zeeshan Ansari, while Kolkata Knight Riders fielded Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Travis Head was also on the substitutes bench for Sunrisers, expected to join the action as an impact substitute.

Kamindu Mendis’s IPL journey begins amid high expectations as he seeks to prove himself in the league known for its intense competition and spotlight on emerging talents. Fans and analysts alike will be watching how he handles the pressures of the IPL, hoping he can leverage his diverse skill set to contribute significantly to his team’s campaign during the season.