Father: Ranjan de Silva, Wife: Sanduni Nisansala, Daughter: Aanya
Dhananjaya de Silva is a stylish and accomplished allrounder who has been a cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket for over a decade. The 34-year-old from Colombo is a technically elegant middle-order batter known for his fighting knocks under pressure, often playing with his back to the wall during team collapses. His Test record speaks volumes, with over 4,200 runs at an average of 39.37, including 13 centuries, highlighted by a career-best 173. His value extends beyond batting, as his part-time off-spin has proven useful across formats, while his slip fielding is among the best in the world. De Silva’s rise was meteoric after a standout domestic season in 2016, earning him a Test call-up, and he has since become one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable players, taking over as Test captain in January 2024. His contributions across formats, including crucial knocks in the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifier, make him an indispensable figure in Sri Lankan cricket.
| Batting & Fielding | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
| Tests | 65 | 115 | 9 | 4133 | 173 | 38.99 | 7089 | 58.30 | 12 | 19 | 499 | 36 | 87 | 0 |
| ODIs | 93 | 85 | 10 | 1924 | 93 | 25.65 | 2469 | 77.92 | 0 | 10 | 191 | 17 | 42 | 0 |
| T20Is | 48 | 47 | 4 | 890 | 66* | 20.69 | 768 | 115.88 | 0 | 3 | 77 | 18 | 22 | 0 |
| FC | 157 | 270 | 23 | 10293 | 204 | 41.67 | 16469 | 62.49 | 29 | 51 | 1171 | 123 | 192 | 0 |
| List A | 161 | 152 | 15 | 4016 | 132 | 29.31 | 4830 | 83.14 | 6 | 17 | 432 | 46 | 71 | 0 |
| T20s | 135 | 125 | 13 | 2574 | 81* | 22.98 | 2066 | 124.58 | 0 | 12 | 241 | 69 | 64 | 0 |
| Bowling | ||||||||||||||
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w | |
| Tests | 65 | 95 | 4149 | 2301 | 43 | 3/25 | 5/51 | 53.51 | 3.32 | 96.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ODIs | 93 | 78 | 2370 | 2011 | 48 | 3/32 | 3/32 | 41.89 | 5.09 | 49.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| T20Is | 48 | 27 | 310 | 353 | 17 | 2/22 | 2/22 | 20.76 | 6.83 | 18.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FC | 157 | 202 | 10110 | 5435 | 177 | 7/59 | 12/109 | 30.70 | 3.22 | 57.1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
| List A | 161 | 133 | 3987 | 3254 | 92 | 4/27 | 4/27 | 35.36 | 4.89 | 43.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| T20s | 135 | 86 | 1211 | 1414 | 58 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 24.37 | 7.00 | 20.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
He is an allrounder who bats right-handed in the middle order, bowls right-arm off-break, and is an exceptional slip fielder.
In 66 Test matches, he has scored 4,253 runs at an average of 39.37, including 13 centuries and 19 half-centuries, with a highest score of 173.
He made his T20I debut on July 30, 2015, his ODI debut on June 16, 2016, and his Test debut on July 26, 2016.
In 93 ODIs, he has scored 1,924 runs at an average of 25.65, with 10 half-centuries, and has taken 48 wickets with his off-spin.
He replaced Dimuth Karunaratne as Sri Lanka's Test captain in January 2024.
He has represented three LPL franchises: Jaffna Kings, Colombo Stars, and Dambulla Aura.
He was born on September 6, 1991, in Colombo, making him 34 years old.
His career-best score is 173, and he has a 10-wicket match haul in first-class cricket with best figures of 7 for 59 and 12 for 109.
In 2016, he scored 868 runs at 54.25 and took 34 wickets at 14.23 for Tamil Union, leading them to their first first-class title in 55 years.
