Will injured Kusal Mendis feature in India Test series?
What's the story
Sri Lankan white-ball captain Kusal Mendis has been ruled out of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 due to a hamstring injury. The setback comes just weeks ahead of Sri Lanka's two-match home Test series against India, starting August 15. Mendis suffered the injury while playing for Colombo Kaps in their recent match against Kandy Royals at the SSC in Colombo on Sunday.
Recovery journey
Mendis to start rehabilitation
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that Mendis will now start his rehabilitation under the supervision of their medical team.
"Mendis sustained a right hamstring injury while attempting a run during the Colombo Kaps's match against the Kandy Royals on 19 July at the SSC, Colombo. Accordingly, he will return to the National High Performance Centre to commence his rehabilitation program," an SLC media release said.
Team impact
Major blow for Sri Lanka
Mendis's injury comes as a major blow for Sri Lanka, especially with the Test series against Team India just weeks away.
The wicketkeeper-batter was expected to play a crucial role in the series, particularly with his wicketkeeping skills.
However, SLC has not yet revealed how long it would take for Mendis to recover and return to action.
Performance review
Mendis has been in terrific form
The timing of Mendis's injury is particularly unfortunate as he has been in terrific form across formats this year.
He had started his LPL campaign with a blistering 79 off 53 balls against Galle Gallants and had an amazing Pakistan Super League season, scoring 550 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 168.19.
For Sri Lanka, he has scored 408 runs from 14 T20Is and 211 runs from five ODIs at 70.33.