IPL 2022 | Had to withdraw retirement from international cricket as I was told to do so by Sri Lanka Board, reveals Bhanuka Rajapaksa

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Bhanuka Rajapaksa has revealed that he had to withdraw his retirement from international cricket recently as he was told to do so by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board. Rajapaksa is in blistering form in the ongoing season of IPL scoring 75 runs from two matches at a mammoth strike rate of 238.70.

IPL 2022 has started and some of the players have been impressive so far with their batting in the tournament. Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been one such name while playing for Punjab KIngs. He has amassed 75 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 238.70. He also played a powerful knock of 321 runs from nine balls in a recent fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rajapaksa had earlier withdrawn his retirement from international cricket. Revealing the reason behind the move, Rajapaksa said that he was instructed to do so by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board.

“I had to withdraw my retirement letter because I was told to do so by SLC, as I could serve the country more. It’s just that I am all same, I have been fit with my running. I only got issues with my skin folds because of which I could not represent my country and meet the fitness standards,” Rajapaksa said during a post-match press conference.

“I worked on my game a bit more. I haven’t played cricket for almost about four months, till I came to IPL because I missed out on the Australia tour and later the India series back home. So, I wanted to come here and satisfy myself. I love playing cricket and would continue doing things that I have been doing in the past.”

In their match against KKR, PBKS were able to post a total of just 137. KKR chased the target with loss of four wickets as Andre Russell smashed an unbeaten 70 runs from 31 balls. Reflecting on the fixture, Rajapaksa said that they lost wickets in the middle overs and the team should work on that.

“The plan for us was to occupy the crease for a long time and put up a good score on the board. As we knew that Knight Riders are a very strong team and we know the power of Russ (Russell) and Billings. But unfortunately, we lost some wickets in the middle and that’s where we need to work on. I am sure the boys will bounce back in the next game,” he explained.