Reports: Sri Lanka Cricket likely to appoint Kusal Mendis as white-ball captain

Published - 10 May 2026, 16:05 IST | Updated - 10 May 2026, 16:07 IST

Sri Lanka Cricket is reportedly set to appoint Kusal Mendis as captain of both the ODI and T20I teams from the upcoming tour of the West Indies. The 31-year-old is expected to replace Charith Asalanka as ODI captain and Dasun Shanaka as T20I skipper, as Sri Lanka aims to bring stability and direction to its white-ball setup ahead of a busy international calendar.

Meanwhile, Dhananjaya de Silva is likely to continue leading the Test side, according to reports from The Sunday Times. Overall, Mendis has scored 4,890 runs in 154 ODIs and 2,622 runs in 106 T20Is. In Tests, he has amassed 4,757 runs in 73 matches. Recently, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, accumulating 550 runs in 11 innings at an average of 55.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Cricket announced that the Sri Lanka national team will tour the West Indies in June and July 2026 for a full bilateral series comprising three ODIs, three T20Is, and two Test matches.

The tour will begin with the ODI series at Sabina Park on June 3, 6, and 8. The T20I series will also be played at the same venue on June 11, 13, and 14. Sri Lanka will then feature in a four-day warm-up match at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua from June 18 to 21.

The Test series will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, with the first Test scheduled from June 25 to 29 and the second from July 3 to 7, concluding the tour. Sri Lanka were last seen in action at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, where they were eliminated in the Super Eight stage. They registered group-stage wins over Ireland, Oman, and Australia, but suffered a defeat against Zimbabwe. However, they failed to win a match in the Super Eight stage, resulting in their exit from the tournament.

Before the World Cup, Sri Lanka endured a difficult series against the England cricket team, where they were whitewashed 3-0 in the T20I series. Despite entering the World Cup with renewed optimism, they could not progress further in the competition.