Star Italy cricketer, idolised Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya wrecked havoc in secnd-group stage match against Nepal as he dismissed three key batter at Wankhede Stadium.
Published: February 12, 2026 5:16 PM IST
T20 World Cup 2026: Italy, playing their debut season in T20 World Cup, started their campaign on a disappointing note as they lost their tournament opener against Scotland by a huge margin of 73 runs. However, they bounced back strongly in their second group-stage match against Nepal
Skipper Harry Manenti opted to bowl first and restricted Nepal to a poor target of 123, thanks to an impressive spell from Crishan Kalugamage. The bowler picked up three key wickets, dismissing Rohit Paudel (23 off 14), Dipendra Singh Airee (17 off 18), and Gulshan Jha (3 off 4).
Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee are two of the most crucial players in Nepal’s line-up, as they wrecked havoc in their previous encounter against Scotland as they stitched together an 82-run partnership for the third wicket. Kalugamage, who conceded just 18 runs in his four-over spell, gave Italy a much-needed sigh of relief after both the batter departed.
Meet Crishan Kalugamage Pizza maker cum Cricketer
Crishan Kalugamage is a Sri Lanka-born cricketer who lives and works in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. When he is not playing for the Italian cricket team, he works as a pizza maker at a local pizzeria.
Kalugamage balanced cricket alongside his daily job as a pizza maker, driven purely by his love for the game and a strong belief that it could one day lead somewhere. That belief has now taken him to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Kalugamage’s parents moved from Sri Lanka to Italy in 2007, when he was 16-years-old. The biggest heartbreak was leaving behind his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. Growing up in Negombo, he spent his childhood listening to cricket commentary on the radio with his grandfather and playing the game with friends at school and after classes. He also represented his school in the Under-13 and Under-15 teams.
Kalugamage took up athletics at school and later began playing tennis-ball cricket for fun with fellow Sri Lankans in Italy. What started as informal games slowly turned competitive, with Kalugamage and his friends representing small clubs in Lucca.
Kalugamage represented Sri Lankan domestic side in 2019
His big opportunity came in 2015–16, when he joined Roma Cricket Club, one of Italy’s oldest cricket clubs. He has been with the club ever since, and the long association has played a key role in shaping his cricketing journey.
Kalugamage represented Sri Lankan domestic side Kandy Customs Cricket Club in 2019 as a pacer. But he was soon forced to make the switch back.
“I had a lot of injuries because of fast bowling. So in 2021, I changed back to being a legspinner.”
Kalugamage idolised Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya
Growing up, Kalugamage idolised Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya. As a leg-spinner, he draws inspiration from Shane Warne, Wanindu Hasaranga and Rashid Khan.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, he spent more than a month in Colombo working as a net bowler for Sri Lanka, making the most of the opportunity to train while Italy was in winter and outdoor practice was limited. During that stint, he met Hasaranga and even sought advice on his bowling. “Our actions are actually quite similar,” he says.
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