Sri Lanka’s rising star Harshitha Samarawickrama has been signed by Trinbago Knight Riders as a replacement for injured Australian captain Meg Lanning in the upcoming Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2024.
Samarawickrama, a left-handed top-order batter, has been in impressive form for Sri Lanka, earning the Player of the Final award in their maiden Women’s Asia Cup title win in 2024. She has also scored back-to-back fifties in the T20I series against Ireland and became the third Sri Lankan woman to hit an ODI century.
With 1463 runs in 65 T20Is at a strike rate of 99.72, Samarawickrama is a valuable addition to the Knight Riders squad. She joins Shikha Pandey, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Jess Jonassen as the other overseas players for the team.
Lanning, who recently led London Spirit to victory in the Hundred, was forced to withdraw from the WCPL due to an injury. She had a lean run of scores in the Hundred, with 170 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 125.
The Knight Riders will begin their WCPL 2024 campaign against Barbados Royals in Tarouba on Thursday. With Samarawickrama’s inclusion, they will be hoping to make a strong start to the tournament and challenge for the title.
