| Name | Rajinda Punchihewa |
| Date of Birth | 24/08/1992 |
| Age | 32 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Placed (Heaton CC - Greater Manchester Cricket League) |
| Playing Role | Bowling All-Rounder (Seam) |
| Bowling Style | RA Medium Fast |
| Batting Style | RH Middle Order Bat |
| Entry Route (UK) | International Sportsperson Visa |
| Major Teams | Kalutara Town Club, Police Sports Club, Chilaw Marians Cricket Club |
| Coaching Qualifications | ECB Core Coach |
| Local Accommodation | Truganina, Melbourne (VIC) |
Rajinda Punchihewa is an established quick bowler who spearheads the Chilaw Marians Cricket Club attack in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.
A high-class seamer, the right-armer recently took career-best figures bagging 7-50 (20.5) against the Tamil Union Cricket And Athletic Club (Nov 2023).
Punchihewa was a late-comer to the domestic game – finally breaking into professional cricket in December 2019, whilst into his late-20s. He made an immediate impression, and subsequently cemented his spot in the Kalutara Town side, across all formats. Unfortunately, COVID struck but he returned to the domestic fold playing for current club, Chilaw Marians, from the 2022/23 season onwards.
A seamer known to bowl a heavy ball, his exclusion from domestic cricket was a surprise especially given Punchihewa was a member of Sri Lanka’s National Fast-Bowling Squad back in 2012/13. However, he made up for lost time taking 10 wickets at 20.80 (2022/23).
Whilst known for his pace bowling, Punchihewa is also a hard-hitting batter in the middle-lower order, who has produced some very useful innings in both first-class (37) and List A (27*) cricket.
The Sri Lankan star has spent the past two seasons (2022-23) playing for Slinfold in the Sussex League. He was a stand-out scoring 351 runs at 15.26 and taking 70 wickets at 14.31 to finishing amongst the top seamers in the league.
Punchihewa is a quality performer who is now set to join Heaton for their 2025 Greater Manchester Cricket League campaign.
| Team (Season) | Runs | Ave | Wkts | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slinfold (2023) | 236 | 15.73 | 36 | 12.78 |
| Slinfold (2022) | 115 | 14.38 | 34 | 15.94 |
| Name | Rajinda Punchihewa |
| Date of Birth | 24/08/1992 |
| Age | 32 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Placed |
| Playing Role | Bowling All-Rounder (Seam) |
| Player Status | Placed (Heaton CC - Greater Manchester Cricket League) |
| Bowling Style | RA Medium Fast |
| Batting Style | RH Middle Order Bat |
| Entry Route (UK) | International Sportsperson Visa |
| Major Teams | Kalutara Town Club, Police Sports Club, Chilaw Marians Cricket Club |
| Coaching Qualifications | ECB Core Coach |
| Local Accommodation | Truganina, Melbourne (VIC) |
Rajinda Punchihewa is an established quick bowler who spearheads the Chilaw Marians Cricket Club attack in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.
A high-class seamer, the right-armer recently took career-best figures bagging 7-50 (20.5) against the Tamil Union Cricket And Athletic Club (Nov 2023).
Punchihewa was a late-comer to the domestic game – finally breaking into professional cricket in December 2019, whilst into his late-20s. He made an immediate impression, and subsequently cemented his spot in the Kalutara Town side, across all formats. Unfortunately, COVID struck but he returned to the domestic fold playing for current club, Chilaw Marians, from the 2022/23 season onwards.
A seamer known to bowl a heavy ball, his exclusion from domestic cricket was a surprise especially given Punchihewa was a member of Sri Lanka’s National Fast-Bowling Squad back in 2012/13. However, he made up for lost time taking 10 wickets at 20.80 (2022/23).
Whilst known for his pace bowling, Punchihewa is also a hard-hitting batter in the middle-lower order, who has produced some very useful innings in both first-class (37) and List A (27*) cricket.
The Sri Lankan star has spent the past two seasons (2022-23) playing for Slinfold in the Sussex League. He was a stand-out scoring 351 runs at 15.26 and taking 70 wickets at 14.31 to finishing amongst the top seamers in the league.
Punchihewa is a quality performer who is now set to join Heaton for their 2025 Greater Manchester Cricket League campaign.
| Team (Season) | Runs | Ave | Wkts | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slinfold (2023) | 236 | 15.73 | 36 | 12.78 |
| Slinfold (2022) | 115 | 14.38 | 34 | 15.94 |
