Babar Azam’s PSL Teammate Likely To Become New National Team Captain

Sri Lankan cricket has experienced a complete decline since the T20 World Cup victory in 2014 because the team operates at an unstable performance level across all cricket formats. The national team currently experiences unstable conditions because selectors have appointed new team leaders multiple times during the past few years.

The T20 World Cup concluded with Sri Lanka advancing to the Super 8 stage but they were unable to progress further and were knocked out of the tournament. The Lankan Lions faced elimination during the league stage of the 2023 World Cup.

Sri Lanka Cricket has made an important decision because they selected a new white-ball captain to face their upcoming international matches. The PSL team captain for Babar Azam has been chosen to lead the team starting from the next match. Kusal Mendis has been appointed as captain for both ODI and T20I matches because of his current outstanding performance. 

NewsWire has published a new report which states that Dasun Shanaka has been removed from his position as T20I captain and team management selected Mendis to lead the Sri Lankan national team. Mendis will succeed Charith Asalanka who will leave his position as ODI captain.

The batter has enjoyed an impressive run in 2026, which was clearly visible during PSL 2026, where he represented Peshawar Zalmi. Mendis and Babar Azam opened for the team, and their partnership helped Zalmi win the title.

The 31-year-old scored 550 runs in 11 innings during his Pakistan Super League games which made him the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament behind Babar himself. 

The Sri Lankan star achieved a strike rate of 168.20 while he bailed his team out of tough times which led his squad to victory in the prestigious PSL tournament.  Mendis scored 197 runs in the T20 World Cup and his outstanding performance in the format made him the T20I captain of his country. 

The right-handed batter has performed exceptionally well in both T20 and ODI matches during 2026. Mendis has played only three ODIs this year but he has delivered impressive performances which show he is playing at his highest career level.

The Sri Lankan batter has achieved 139 runs in three matches with an average of 69.50 and a strike rate of 81. The Sri Lankan cricket team displays its complete trust in Mendis because of his excellent playing performance and he must now fulfill his responsibilities as the new team leader. 

Mendis will lead Sri Lanka in his first white-ball match against the West Indies which includes three T20I matches and three ODI matches. 

The Mendis-led team will complete their white-ball series with all away matches while they will also play series in England and India to conclude their season. The Lankan Lions will face England and India in three ODIs and three T20Is.