International career
Harshitha Madavi Dissanayake Samarawickrama was born on June 29, 1998, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She is a left-handed batter and occasional right-arm slow bowler who has been a core member of the Sri Lanka women’s national team since 2016.
2016
- Made her WT20I debut on March 20, 2016, against Ireland at Mohali.
- Played her WODI debut on September 20, 2016, against Australia at Dambulla.
- Began to establish herself as a top-order batter noted for her steady technique and composure.
2017–2018
- Continued to represent Sri Lanka in bilateral ODI and T20I series, including tours of India and Pakistan.
2019
- Appointed captain of the Sri Lanka women’s team for the South Asian Games held in Nepal.
- Led the team to the silver medal, losing only to Bangladesh in the final.
2020
- Served as vice-captain during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
- Displayed leadership maturity and contributed useful innings in the group stages.
2021
- Continued as vice-captain at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
- Played key innings under pressure, reinforcing her leadership credentials.
2022
- Represented Sri Lanka at the Women’s Cricket Commonwealth Games Qualifier in Malaysia and at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
- Played multiple matches as vice-captain, combining batting stability with fielding reliability.
2023
- Regular member of Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I squads.
- Maintained great form across both formats, particularly in the middle overs.
2024
- Delivered one of the best performances of her career during the Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Dambulla, scoring an unbeaten 69 runs in the final against India to secure Sri Lanka’s first-ever Asia Cup title.
- Named Player of the Match in the final.
- Scored consecutive half-centuries — 86 and 65 — in the home T20I series vs Ireland in August 2024.
2025
- Featured in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
- Scored 29 runs in the rain-affected opener against India and played in the match against England on October 11.
- Continued to anchor the top order as one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent batters.
By October 2025, Harshitha Samarawickrama had played 47 WODIs (1,180 runs) and 72 WT20Is (1,527 runs).
Leagues Participation
Harshitha Samarawickrama expanded her professional career beyond Sri Lanka in 2024 by joining an overseas franchise competition for the first time.
Women’s Caribbean Premier League
In August 2024, Harshitha joined the Trinbago Knight Riders Women franchise as a replacement for Meg Lanning, who was ruled out due to injury. The WCPL 2024 took place between August 21 and August 29 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. It marked her debut in a foreign T20 league and gave her the opportunity to share a dressing room with senior Caribbean and international players.
She played four matches, scoring 58 runs in total with a highest score of 33. While she did not have a standout innings, her controlled batting and composure against fast bowlers received positive reviews. The experience added a new dimension to her professional record, following her title-winning performance in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2024
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Trinbago Knight Riders Women
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Replacement for Meg Lanning; played four matches; 58 runs total (best 33)
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Domestic career
Harshitha Madavi Dissanayake Samarawickrama began her cricket journey through Sri Lanka’s school and district tournaments before progressing to provincial and club levels. Around 2013–2016, she represented Western Province Women, Kandy District Women, and Combined Provinces Women, showing early promise as a technically strong left-handed top-order batter.
After earning her place in the national team, she became a mainstay in Colombo’s club scene. She played for Colts Cricket Club Women, one of Sri Lanka’s leading clubs, and for SLC Grey Women, part of the board’s high-performance “colour-team” system. These stages refined her role as a top-order accumulator focused on innings control and strike rotation.
Her most successful domestic phase came in 2025, when she represented the Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club Women (Navy SC Women). During the Women’s Major Club 50-Over Tournament, Navy SC completed an undefeated season (9 wins from 9) to win the championship. Harshitha scored 471 runs in 8 matches, earning the Best Batter of the Tournament award. Her standout innings — 112 runs off 135 balls against Colts — was cited by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as an example of her balanced stroke play and match awareness.
Alongside her domestic dominance, she expanded her experience abroad by joining Trinbago Knight Riders Women for the 2024 Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) as a replacement for Meg Lanning. She played four matches, scoring 58 runs with a top score of 33, gaining exposure to franchise-level competition outside Asia.
Records and achievements
Harshitha Samarawickrama has become one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable and accomplished batters of her generation.
- 2016: Made her T20I debut on March 20 vs Ireland and ODI debut on September 20 vs Australia.
- 2019: Captained Sri Lanka at the South Asian Games, leading the team to a silver medal.
- 2020–2022: Served as vice-captain for Sri Lanka Women during the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (Australia), 2021 World Cup Qualifier (Zimbabwe), and 2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifier (Malaysia).
- 2024:
- Scored 69 not out in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup Final, earning Player of the Match and guiding Sri Lanka to its first-ever Asia Cup title.
- Hit consecutive half-centuries — 86 and 65 — in the T20I series against Ireland, cementing her form that year.
- Joined Trinbago Knight Riders Women in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), scoring 58 runs in 4 matches, her first overseas franchise experience.
- 2025:
- Finished among the top run-scorers in the Sri Lanka Women’s Tri-Nation ODI Series, compiling 203 runs.
- Named Best Batter of the Tournament in the SLC Major Club Women’s 50-Over Championship, scoring 471 runs in 8 matches, including a century (112 off 135 balls) for Sri Lanka Navy SC Women.
- Holds a T20I batting average above 30, ranking among Sri Lanka’s all-time leading run-scorers in the format.
Personal life
Harshitha Samarawickrama maintains a private lifestyle, keeping her personal matters separate from her cricket career.
Finance
There are no verified figures about Harshitha’s personal income or net worth in any official reports. Under the SLC central contract structure (2024), female players earned monthly retainers of LKR 100,000–300,000, plus USD 750 per international match and a USD 250 win bonus.
After Sri Lanka’s victory in the 2024 Women’s T20 Asia Cup, SLC publicly confirmed a USD 500,000 team bonus, which was divided among the squad members.
Family
There is no official information about Harshitha’s parents, marital status, or children.
Scandals
Harshitha has no record of controversies or disciplinary issues. Searches across ICC, SLC, and major sports outlets confirm that she has maintained a clean, professional reputation throughout her career.
Fans
Her official Instagram account has around 16,000 followers and features team celebrations, match highlights, and training posts. She does not maintain a verified Twitter (X) account — most mentions come from official cricket bodies and WCPL media pages. Harshitha is also featured on FanCraze, where her 2023 Women’s World Cup highlight NFT (/750) is listed for about USD 6.
