Kamindu Mendis will captain Colombo Kaps for the rest of the Lanka Premier League after Kusal Mendis was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The injury
Kusal hurt his right hamstring while running during the chase against Kandy Royals on July 19 at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground and left the field after a medical check. Scans showed he will miss the remainder of the tournament, and he has started rehabilitation at Sri Lanka Cricket’s National High Performance Centre. SLC confirmed the details in a statement.
It is a heavy blow for the Kaps. Kusal had scored 79 off 53 balls in their opening LPL match against Galle Gallants. Earlier this year he also made 550 runs in 11 innings in the Pakistan Super League at a strike rate of 168.19.
Kamindu steps up
The 27-year-old batting all-rounder must now lead the franchise through the rest of the league stage and into the playoffs. His first game as captain is against Kandy Royals on July 23 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. The LPL final is on August 8 at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Test series concern
The injury also worries Sri Lanka ahead of the home Test series against India, which starts on August 15. The first Test is in Galle from August 15 to 19, and the second at the SSC in Colombo from August 23 to 27. Kusal is Sri Lanka’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in all formats and his fitness will be monitored, though no timeline has been given.
