Bhanuka Rajapaksa is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer known for playing in limited-overs internationals for the Sri Lanka national cricket team.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Pramod Bhanuka Bandara Rajapaksa was born on Thursday, 24 October 1991 (age 30 years; as of 2021) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. Although Bhanuka has been swimming since childhood, she had to give up the sport when she was diagnosed with meningitis, a life-threatening disease. After that he decided to pursue his career in cricket. In an interview, he recalled how he started playing cricket and said:
I had meningitis, a brain disease, and the doctors advised me not to dive. That’s why I took up cricket.”
While studying at Royal College, Colombo, he started playing cricket and represented his school team.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family
parents and siblings
Not much information is available about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
On 5 April 2021, Bhanuka Rajapaksa married Sandrine Pereira in a Catholic wedding ceremony in a church.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa with his wife Sandrine Pereira
Career
Domestic
In 2009, Bhanuka made his T20 debut representing the local team in the Schools Invitation XI. In the same year, he made his first-class debut for Sinhalese Sports Club. He later moved to the Sri Lanka Under-19 team and represented his country in the 2009 tour of Australia. In the second ODI during Sri Lanka’s Under-19 tour of Australia, he scored 154 runs in 111 balls, ending the series as the leading wicket-taker. Following this, he was selected for the 2010 U-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, where he finished as Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer with 253 runs.
He was in the team during the Kandy 2018 SLC T20 League. Kandy drew the third match against Colombo, after which the teams played a super over to decide the winner. As the match was still tied after the super over, Colombo were declared the eventual winners as they scored the most boundaries. In the 2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament, he represented the Galle team that won the tournament after defeating Colombo by 75 runs in the final. He played for Dambulla in the 2019 Super Provincial One Day Tournament. After featuring for Galle Gladiators in the 2020 Lankan Premier League (LPL), he represented the SLC Grays in the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League; The SLC Grays won the tournament, defeating the SLC Reds by 42 runs. Played for Galle Gladiators in the 2021 Lankan Premier League; Galle Gladiators defeated Jaffna Kings by 23 runs in the final. In the IPL 2022 mega auction, Bhanuka Rajapaksa signed the franchise team Punjab Kings for Rs 50 lakh. He has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit for Sri Lanka and has also played for the following teams:
- Ruhuna (Sri Lanka Provincial Tournament)
- Uva Next (Sri Lanka Premier League)
- Sri Lanka a
- Kandy Warriors (Lanka Premier League (LPL))
- Barisal Blazers (2010 National Cricket League Twenty20)
- Sri Lanka Council Presidents XI
- Deccan Gladiators (Abu Dhabi T10 League)
- Comilla Victorians (Bangladesh Premier League)
- Chennai Braves (Abu Dhabi T10 League)
International
On 5 October 2019, Bhanuka made his T20I debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium. Sri Lanka won the series and Bhanuka gained notoriety for his big knocks in the second T20I, in which he was named “Man of the Match” with a 48-ball 77 runs. On 18 July 2021, Bhanuka Rajapaksa made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka against India at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. In July 2021, he was named in the Sri Lankan squad to play three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches when the Indian cricket team toured Sri Lanka. While India won the ODI series, the T20I series was won by Sri Lanka. This was the first time Sri Lanka won a T20I series against India. In September 2021, he became part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad. On 5 January 2022, Rajapaksa announced his international retirement in a letter to the SLC, stating that he had decided after considering some family commitments. However, when Sri Lankan Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa asked Bhanuka to revoke his retirement, Bhanuka withdrew his retirement letter on 13 January 2022.
Confrontation
In 2021, Rajapaksa made serious allegations against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), claiming he was being mistreated by the authorities due to his low fitness level. After being overlooked for the UK and West Indies tours, Rajapaksa expressed his frustration in a YouTube interview in which he insisted that players’ performances on the field should be prioritized in player selection over players’ fitness levels. Responding to Rajapaksa’s claims, Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur said Bhanuka had failed the skin tests required to qualify to play in international cricket matches and the management wanted to fit the cricketers in the national team. Calling Rajapaksa a “comfort zone cricketer”, Arthur claimed that Rajapaksa loved chocolates and therefore did not follow the diet he was fed. The clash between Rajapaksa and Arthur resulted in Rajapaksa being banned from all forms of cricket for one year, along with a fine of US$5,000, for breach of contract by the SLC and the required permission from the SLC to give media interviews.
the chosen ones
Facts/Trivia
- He is also referred to as PBB Rajapaksa by various media houses.
- His jersey number is 54 for the Sri Lanka national cricket team as well as Punjab Kings of the IPL.
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa is a left-arm batsman and his bowling style is right-arm medium.
- In 2011, Bhanuka Rajapaksa became the fourth individual to win the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year twice in a row.
Bhanuka Rajapakse (as a student at Royal College, Colombo) poses with his ‘Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year’ (2011)
- In 2011, he won the title of ‘Young Emerging U-19 Player’ at the CEAT Sri-lanka Cricket Awards.
- The left-handed batsman is a relative of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who took office as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 2019.
- After making his first-class debut in 2009, Bhanuka waited ten years to play for Sri Lanka. In an interview, he talked about his struggle and said:
As far as challenges go, you name it, I’ve been through it all in 9-10 years. It took me almost 10 years to come around. It was really difficult. For nine years it was not easy. I was very confused mentally. Sometimes I was very confused. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, but there were times when I didn’t want to continue playing cricket.”
In 2019, he finally managed to book himself a place in the Sri Lankan squad for the 3-match T20I series in Pakistan only when the Sri Lankan premiership cricketers refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns.
- Apart from swimming and cricket, he likes to play squash.
- A dog lover, Bhanuka has pet dogs named Alvin, Brandy, Mocha, Riley, Theodore and Abby.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa with his wife Sandrine Pereira and dogs
- He became the ambassador of famous restaurant chain Chariot Sri-Lanka for IPL (2022).
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa owns two cars, a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Subaru STI.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s cars
- In an interview, she revealed that having a sweet tooth affected her fitness. She said,
The fitness journey was quite challenging. It’s not my fitness on the field. It’s just the folds of my skin. Ever since school, when I got a reputation for taking sweets, I’ve been on the dirty side.”
- Bhanuka hired a personal trainer named Nigel Aaron after criticizing Mickey Arthur for his low fitness levels.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa with his personal trainer Nigel Aaron
- In comments on a 2014 Facebook post, Bhanuka Rajapaksa claimed to have quit drinking.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s Facebook post
Categories: Cricket
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
