Chamari Athapaththu: Sri Lanka's Women's Cricket Icon

Chamari Athapaththu is one of women's cricket's most dynamic and influential players — a left-handed batter and right-arm medium-pacer who has almost single-handedly raised Sri Lanka's profile in women's cricket. Born in Colombo in 1990, she has captained Sri Lanka with distinction and broken multiple records in international cricket.

Records and Batting Achievements

Athapaththu holds multiple records in women's cricket. She scored 178 not out against Australia in a Women's ODI — the highest score ever made by a Sri Lankan batter in Women's ODI cricket at the time. Her T20I career features one of women's cricket's best strike rates among consistent run-scorers. As an opener, she gives Sri Lanka immediate attacking intent and can take any bowling attack apart if set.

WPL and Franchise Cricket

Athapaththu's global profile rose dramatically following her selection in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) in 2023, where she represented Royal Challengers Bangalore. Playing alongside international stars accelerated her development as a T20 batter and raised Sri Lanka women's visibility on the global stage. The WPL contract also provided financial security that had previously been unavailable to women's cricketers from smaller nations.

Captaincy and Legacy

As Sri Lanka's long-time women's captain, Athapaththu has led by example both in batting and in driving professionalism standards in the team. Under her leadership, Sri Lanka have qualified for World Cup finals and beaten top-10 nations more consistently than at any previous point in their women's cricket history. She is a transformative figure for South Asian women's cricket broadly.