Dickwella Told Yashasvi, ‘Get Me Into the IPL’: Krishna and Pant Sent Him Back to the Pavilion!
Galle: Several Sri Lankan players, including Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera, have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the dream of 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella, an experienced player with 138 international appearances, remains unfulfilled.
He appeared to hint at that desire while batting against India on the final day of the Test in Galle on Wednesday, but the very conversation that revealed his IPL ambition ultimately contributed to his dismissal.
Dickwella, who has also played in T20 leagues in the USA, UAE, Bangladesh and the West Indies apart from Sri Lanka, has a strong desire to play in the IPL. He mentioned that wish during a light-hearted conversation with Yashasvi Jaiswal while batting against India.
However, he lost his wicket in the middle of the playful exchange. After scoring 80 in the first innings, he was caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off Prasidh Krishna. On Wednesday, he again fell to Krishna and Pant, this time for just 10 runs.
Yashasvi Tempts Dickwella
Indian left-handed opener Yashasvi was stationed at square leg, very close to Sri Lankan left-handed batter Dickwella. Yashasvi was in a playful mood and had developed a friendly rapport with Dickwella. He kept telling him that he wanted to see more of the kind of shots Dickwella had played during his patient 80-run innings in the first innings.
Krishna bowled the 60th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Yashasvi kept telling Dickwella, “You play the hook shot very well against short balls. I want to see one. Hit a hook shot towards the Galle Municipal Stand. If you listen to me, I’ll definitely recommend you to Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara, the Rajasthan Royals head coach).”
Yashasvi Jaiswal unsettles Niroshan Dickwella, and on the very next delivery Prasidh Krishna dismisses him 😂#INDvsSL pic.twitter.com/CbITv8DnN3
— Ak (@AkashRa29975360) August 19, 2026
Dickwella immediately replied jokingly, “Okay.”
He then told Yashasvi, “I’m not Jaiswal. I’m not particularly good at hook shots. But if you’re going to get me into the IPL, I’ll play one or two.”
Dickwella Loses Concentration
Yashasvi immediately replied, “100 percent, I’ll get you in.”
PRASIDH KRISHNA WINS THE BATTLE AGAIN v DICKWELLA.
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) August 19, 2026
– Prasidh dismissed Dickwella in both innings. pic.twitter.com/dJwB2JSkD9
Dickwella then played Krishna’s next delivery towards deep point and took two runs. On the following ball, Dickwella did not really want to play a hook shot and instead intended to guide the ball towards deep point again. However, his concentration appeared to have been affected by the conversation with Yashasvi, and he ended up giving a catch to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
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After Dickwella was dismissed, Yashasvi went over to his teammates and could not stop laughing.
Collapse Begins After Dickwella’s Departure
Dickwella’s dismissal as the sixth wicket marked the beginning of Sri Lanka’s lower-order collapse. Before long, spinner Manav Suthar took the final four wickets in succession and cleaned up Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.
He Ignored His Teammates’ Advice
Dickwella has a habit of chatting with teammates and opposition players during matches. He had previously lost his wicket during a similar humorous exchange in 2017.
His teammates had advised him to talk less, but Dickwella had told them, “Don’t worry. The opposition players waste time talking to me, and I’m helping them do it.”