Follow UsFormer Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis makes his first appearance at the Indian Premier League (IPL), creating history on May 30 (Friday) against Mumbai Indians. Mendis becomes the second Sri Lankan to represent Gujarat Titans after Dasun Shanaka, who made his appearance earlier for the same franchise.
However, the 30-year-old entered the record books as he became the first-ever overseas player in IPL history to make their tournament debut in the playoffs. Mendis has replaced the in-form English wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler in the Titans’ setup and will have to fill big shoes.
Before he departed from India, Buttler was one of the main batters for the franchise, with 538 runs in the season, averaging 59.77 at a strike rate of 163.03. Mendis last played T20 cricket on May 7, and wasn’t required to bat for Quetta Gladiators across his last three PSL appearances.
In the entire PSL edition, the right-hander has scored 143 runs, averaging 35.75 with a strike rate of 35.75. However, he doesn’t have the best of records at the international level, with 1920 runs, averaging 25.60 with 15 T20I half-centuries across 78 clashes.
A lot of eyes will be on the 30-year-old to make his impact on his IPL debut against MI.