Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Pramod Bhanuka Bandara Rajapaksa, popularly known as Bhanuka Rajapaksa (born 24 October 1991), is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who plays Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka. He is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Colombo. Despite a prolific domestic career, Rajapaksa only made his international debut when he was called up for the T20I series against Pakistan in 2019, ten years after his first-class debut.
Early career.
Rajapaksa began his cricket career as a student of Royal College Colombo. He was a key player in the Royal College team as both a batsman as well as a dependable medium pace bowler. His other sporting interests include squash and swimming.
Rajapaksa was selected for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand as a batsman. He finished as the leading run-scorer for Sri Lanka in the tournament with 253 runs. He had an excellent tour of Australia with the U19 team in 2009, smashing 154 off 111 balls in the second U19 ODI, and ending the series as the leading run-scorer. He compares his batting style to Adam Gilchrist. His score of 154* is the second-highest individual score for Sri Lanka in U19 ODI cricket. Rajapaksa was the first Sri Lankan U19 cricketer to score 150 in a U19 ODI innings. He was also the first Sri Lankan U19 player to amass 1000 Youth ODI runs.
In 2011, Bhanuka became only the fourth individual to be adjudged as the 'Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year' twice in the country's premier school sector awarding ceremony, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year. He was also adjudged the Young Emerging Player of the Under 19 Category at the CEAT Sri Lanka Cricket Awards 2011.
Domestic career.
In domestic cricket, Rajapaksa initially represented the Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket and has also played for Barisal Blazers in Bangladesh's NCL T20 Bangladesh.
In April 2018, he was named in Galle's squad for the 2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament. In August 2018, he was named in Kandy's squad the 2018 SLC T20 League. In March 2019, he was named in Dambulla's squad for the 2019 Super Provincial One Day Tournament.
During 2019 Premier season, Rajapaksa scored a career high 268 in 173 balls vs Ports Authorities for BRC at Moors Grounds, hitting 19 sixes and 22 fours in the innings. During Sri Lanka A's tour of India in 2019, in the 2nd unofficial test vs India A, Rajapaksa scored 110 runs in 112 balls with 17 fours and 3 sixes at KSCA grounds, Hubli.
In October 2020, he was drafted by the Galle Gladiators for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League.
International career.
In September 2019, he was named in Sri Lanka's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the series against Pakistan in Pakistan. He made his T20I debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan on 5 October 2019, scoring 32 runs off 22 balls in a 64 run victory. In the second match, Rajapaksa scored 77 runs off 48 balls as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 35 runs. He was adjudged the player of the match for his batting performance.