Vinodh Perera

Vinodh Perera is a genuine all-rounder who represented numerous domestic sides, most recently Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club after stints with Nugegoda SWC, Kurunegala Youth Sports Club, and Panadura Sports Club.

Since his first-class debut over a decade ago (April 2011), he has played 80 domestic matches across the three formats. He has been a strong performer with the bat, particularly in recent seasons in red-ball cricket, where he averages 26.41 with 2 centuries. Whilst he has 58 wickets at 35.17 in his 39 first-class matches, it's in white-ball cricket that he's excelled with the ball, averaging 19.54 (List A), and 18.90 (T20).

An explosive batter and brisk medium-pacer, Perera has previously excelled for Panadura in both 2017/18 (309 runs at 30.90 / 14 wickets at 33.64) and 2018/19 (294 runs at 32.66 / 13 wickets at 37.46) seasons. He had found his “home” at Panadura, after stints with Sri Lanka Navy (2010/11), Kurunegala Youth (2011/12), and Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club (2016/17), and Kurunegala. He vindicated his move to Panadura Sports Club for the 2017/18 season by hitting his maiden first-class century on debut against KTC. Coming in at number 7, the all-rounder struck a brilliant 138 from 163 - an innings littered with boundaries (14) alongside 5 sixes.

The talented all-rounder who has also represented Anuradhapura District in Sri Lanka’s One-Day Competition was a star at Under-23 level, for both Tamil Union and SL Navy, before making his first-class debut in 2010/11, playing a solitary game for SL Navy. He moved to Kurunegala Youth the following season, playing a further 2 domestic matches.

However, he had to wait another 5 years before he returned to first-class cricket, this time for Bloomfield, where he averaged 23 and 47 with bat and ball respectively in 6 first-class outings. He has remedied these under-whelming numbers since, with his two centuries over the past few seasons, the obvious highlights.

Keen to showcase his talent abroad, he did just that during the UK 2018 season. Playing for Anston in the strong Bassetlaw and District League (Championship Division), he excelled, hitting 1,057 runs at 45.96 alongside 54 wickets at 23.52. Perera struck 2 centuries, including a quite sensational 160*, chasing down North Wheatley's 311 in the final over. With Anston reeling at 172-6, Perera bludgeoned the ball to all parts, sharing a 139-run stand with the number 8 (who contributed 7 runs). The all-rounder returned to Anston in 2019 and continued to shine, striking 833 runs at 33.32 alongside 52 wickets at 18.48.

Following his two-season stint with Anston, Perera spent three productive seasons in the West of England Premier League for Potterne (1,436 runs at 33.16 and 81 wickets at 20.85 in league cricket), before a summer (2023/24) in New Zealand for Cornwall in the Hawkes Bay Cricket Association campaign.

Last season, Perera returned to Northern shores embarking on another Midlands summer, this time with Lutterworth in the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket League. It's fair to say the Sri Lankan star excelled with not only bat and ball, but with his coaching exploits off the field. He was an absolute stand-out for Lutterworth, a side that featured ex Durham, now Warwickshire seamer Chris Rushworth. Alongside his 460 runs at 21.90, he was the Premier League's leading wicket taker (53 wickets at 18.77), finishing ahead of Leicestershire County contingent Dieter Klein, Jigar Naik, Ollie Freckingham, Nathan Buck, Tom Wells, and Aadil Ali to name but a few.

Looking ahead, Perera has set his sights on future opportunities and give his exploits home and abroad, plus proven coaching ability, Perera will no doubt a marquee signing.