Dilani Manodara

The most dependable wicket-keeper batsman to ever play for Sri Lanka Women, Dilani Manodara is the oldest and the third-most experienced player to ever play for Sri Lanka just six behind the legend Chamari Atapattu. Since her debut, she has not only been consistent with the bat but also with the gloves in her hands.

The Kandy-born made her ODI debut against Pakistani in the Women’s Asia Cup on December 14th, 2006. However, she did not get to bat as Sri Lanka chased the total easily with seven wickets remaining. Although the veteran made her T20I debut three years later, her maiden half-century in the format came in January 2015 against Pakistan.

Dilani’s batting has gone from strength to strength since her debut and her career-defining moment came in the 2017 World Cup against India where she scored 61 off 75 balls. In the same year, the Kandy-born batter broke the record for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper for Sri Lanka in ODIs. After a string of impressive performances, she was included in the 2018 T20 World Cup, and her stand-out display was in a group game against the Proteas where she smashed 20 off 12 balls.

After making her debut in 2006, Dilani has been a constant figure in the Sri Lanka Women’s cricket domain. Her staggering numbers in the limited-overs format prove that she is a versatile player who can change her batting style at any moment and her leadership quality has brought upon massive success for the national team.

(As of April 2021)