Sports
Kusal Mendis to replace Buttler at Gujarat Titans for IPL playoffs
Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis will replace Jos Buttler in the Gujarat Titans squad for the IPL 2025 playoffs.
Kusal Mendis had been at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with Quetta Gladiators until last week, playing as their wicketkeeper-batter. He’d last played for them on May 7. But ESPNcricinfo has learned he will not travel to Pakistan for the remainder of the PSL due to perceived safety concerns, and has now pivoted to playing in the IPL, a league in which he has never previously appeared.
Buttler’s unavailability for the playoffs is down to his having been named in England’s ODI squad for the home series against West Indies, which starts on May 29. The IPL’s playoffs begin the same day.
GT have two other wicketkeeping options in their squad, in Anuj Rawat and Kumar Kushagra. However, Kusal Mendis has been in good form for Gladiators, hitting 143 runs at a strike rate of 168 in five PSL matches.
Merely being approached by an IPL franchise as a replacement is something of a career fillip for Kusal Mendis, who had entered his name in the IPL auctions repeatedly, but had never been bought. He is understood to be currently awaiting his India visa, and is likely to join the GT squad on Saturday.
GT currently sit atop the IPL table, equal on points with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but with a better net run rate. They need only one more win to confirm their place in the playoffs.
[Cricinfo]
Under 19 Cricket
Half centuries by Ludeesha Matarage and Reshon Soloman and useful contributions from top order batsmen helped S. Thomas’ post 292 runs against Wesley in the Under 19 traditional cricket encounter at Mount Lavinia on Friday.
At Reid Avenue Rehan Peiris top scored with 82 runs as Royal scored 265 runs against St. Joseph’s on day one in their traditional match.
Ananda did well to restrict St. Anthony’s Katugastota to 163 runs but the home team lost two quick wickets for 16 runs in their response at Ananda Mawatha.
Scores
Thomians post 292 against Wesley
at Mount Lavinia
Scores
S. Thomas’ 292 in 79.6 overs
(Jayden Amaraweera 39, Ludeesha Matarage 73, Aaron Kodituwakku 28, Reshon Soloman 56, Shanil Perera 33; Rashmika Amararatne 4/58, Rasheed Nahyan 2/54, Methnula Mayadunna 2/46)
Wesley 28 for 1 in 13 overs
Royal 265, Joes 35/0 at Reid Avenue
Scores
Royal 265 all out in 78 overs
(Hirun Liyanarachchi 28, Rehan Peiris 82, Yasindu Dissanayake 24, Manuth Dasanayaka 25, Shehandu Sooriyaarachchi 20n.o.; Nushan Perera 3/100, Vishwa Peiris 5/60)
St. Joseph’s 35 for no loss in 12.2 overs
(Aveesha Samash 27n.o.)
St. Anthony’s restricted to 163 runs at Ananda Mawatha
Scores
St. Anthony’s 163 all out in 68.2 overs
(Praveen Gamage 21, Dinul Wijesinghe 65n.o., Ryan Gregory 21; Pasan Batugahage 2/22, Kithma Widanapathirana 3/58, Sharada Jayarathna 3/29)
Ananda 16 for 2 in 8 overs
Division I Tier B Cricket
Moratu MV on first inning, St. Anne’s
better in second innings at Moratuwa
Scores
Moratu MV 288 all out in 77.4 overs (Deneth Sithumina 54, Sanjana Senevirathne 111, Menuka Kothalawala 39n.o.; Sanuja Dissanayake 5/85, Yashmith Jayasundara 2/28, Nesad Weerasekara 2/93)
St. Anne’s 57 for 4 overnight 139 all out in 32.5 overs (Ishan Khan 28, Kushan Subasinghe 50n.o., ; Menuka Kothalawala 4/54, Vihanga Nethsara 3/27, Nipuna Sithum 2/34) and 300 for 8 decl. in 74 overs (Sanuka Kemsara 57, Methviru Abeysekara 30, Kushan Subasinghe 54, Yashmith Jayasundara 58, Sanuja Dissanayake 43; Sasindu Peiris 3/55, Sanjana Seneviratne 2/46, Sudharshana Suwaris 3/79)
St. Sebastians’ on first innings win at Katuneriya
Scores
St. Sebastians’ 145 all out in 35.1 overs (Dinindu Dilan 48, Maheesha Sithum 25; Thrindu Naveen 2/39, Menula Dambakumbura 5/40, Dimuthu Tharuka 2/13) and 130 all out in 46.2 overs (Maheesha Sithum 76; Menula Dambakumbura 7/55, Dasith Senal 3/49)
Isipatana 81 for 6 overnight 143 all out in 49.2 overs (Dewshan Deneth 26, Dasith Senal 20, Tharindu Naveen 24; Maheesha Sithum 3/48, Sachintha Sandeep 2/38, Damsith Subashan 2/28, Tharuka Manaram 2/11) and 83 for 7 in 28 overs (Maleesha Sandaruwan 26; Tharuka Manaram 2/27, Damsith Subashana 2/05) (RF)
The second T20I between Sri Lanka and Pakistan which was to be played at Dambulla was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
In its fourth season, the WPL now feels part of the system, shaping careers and standards in increasingly visible ways. Most notably, it played a part in India winning their first ODI World Cup last year. How ’bout that. Almost silly that there was a time when this idea struggled to get off the ground.
While rivalries are still taking shape in this five-team league, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru has all the ingredients of being the best one. Borrowing from its IPL counterpart, it pits two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, against each other. They are also the only teams to have lifted the trophy so far, with MI holding a slender 4-3 head-to-head advantage
There is an extra layer of significance this time. Harmanpreet and Mandhana return to the venue where the defining night of their international careers played out two months ago. The DY Patil Stadium will stir fond memories not just for the two captains but also for the India players on both sides, even if the sea of MI blue in the stands is expected to outweigh RCB’s red, black and gold. It was here that the duo shared an emotional hug after India clinched the World Cup, before circling the ground together, singing and dancing long into the night. On the eve of the WPL opener, both admitted those memories came flooding back as they walked into the stadium.
Harmanpreet has since spoken of the venue becoming a hub for women’s cricket in India, a sentiment Mandhana echoed ahead of the season. “Whenever you enter the ground, you remember exactly where the last catch was taken,” she said, recalling Harmanpreet’s leap at extra cover to dismiss South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk and seal the win in the final. “This is still just one-and-a-half months later, but even after 20 years, if we come back to this ground, we are still going to remember exactly what happened on November 2.”
The friendship remains untouched but once the WPL begins, Harmanpreet said the focus will be on “how we can win against each other.”
For defending champions MI, the template established in the inaugural season – continuity, role clarity, a strong core and enviable depth – continues to serve them well. Retaining five players ahead of the auction preserved the backbone of the batting, while the return of familiar faces ensured stability. While other teams opted for reshuffles, MI doubled down on their processes, backing experience, investing in youth and trusting a leadership group that has grown with the league.
RCB arrive with a sense of renewal after missing the knockouts last season. Mandhana remains the face of the team, supported by T20 firepower in Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk, though Ellyse Perry’s withdrawal leaves questions at the top. Their bowling, however, looks formidable, with pace from Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar and de Klerk, and spin options in Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil and Harris.
G Kamalini 17, was retained by MI ahead of the auction alongside players like Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Amanjot, which is an indicator of how highly she is rated. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter with the ability to go big, Kamalini offers flexibility in the line-up. She made her WPL debut last season and announced herself in just her second game, against RCB, holding her nerve to seal a last over victory, She continued to impress in the domestic circuit, which earned her a maiden India call-up late last year for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where she made her international debut. Captain Harmanpreet indicated ahead of this season that Kamalini would be given a “special role”, suggesting a move up the order, and said she expects the teenager to be one of the “main players” in the team.
After missing WPL 2025 and spending more than a year sidelined by a series of injuries, spin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil returns to the tournament that launched her into prominence. She was just 20 when she debuted for RCB in 2023, and her rise was swift, with India T20I and ODI caps following later that year. Patil enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker as RCB went on to lift their maiden title. She made her return from injury at the Women’s CPL last September, featured in the domestic season for Karnataka, and was one of four players retained by RCB ahead of the auction. In the lead-up to the season, Patil has focused on fine-tuning her offspin, batting and overall fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the private academy where she trains.
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