Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis avoided a question about the Indian Premier League during a post-match interaction following a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 game in Karachi. After his Peshawar Zalmi side beat Lahore Qalandars by 76 runs, a video circulating on social media shows Mendis being prompted—possibly by a Peshawar Zalmi media official—to keep the discussion focused strictly on PSL 2026.
Incident in the post-match media interaction
The exchange occurred after Saturday’s match at the National Stadium in Karachi. In the clip, a person—thought to be connected to Peshawar Zalmi’s media management—can be heard asking the reporter to restrict questions to PSL 2026.
Mendis, who is in the Zalmi squad for PSL 2026, had been asked about his earlier decision to leave the Pakistan Super League and move to the IPL. The reporter questioned whether he had any “regrets” about joining Gujarat Titans during the season, despite being linked with Quetta Gladiators.
While the question prompted a reaction from Mendis, he did not provide an answer. When the media manager urged that the questions be limited to Zalmi’s performance or PSL-related topics, the reporter responded that it was a PSL matter.
Key match details: Zalmi’s 76-run win
Mendis was speaking after his team’s dominant win over Lahore Qalandars in Karachi. The 31-year-old contributed a match-winning knock of 74 runs from 48 balls and was named Player of the Match.
- Peshawar Zalmi defeated Lahore Qalandars by 76 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi.
- Kusal Mendis scored 74 off 48 deliveries.
- Mendis was awarded Player of the Match for his performance.
The IPL/PSL question put to Mendis
In the video, the reporter references Mendis withdrawing from the Pakistan Super League the previous year to play for Gujarat Titans mid-tournament, pointing to “security concerns” and asking whether he had any regret about that earlier decision.
- The reporter said Mendis withdrew from PSL to join Gujarat Titans during the tournament and raised “security concerns”.
- The question suggested that Gujarat Titans did not select him again and asked if Mendis had any regret about withdrawing from PSL the year before.
- Mendis did not respond to the reporter’s question.
How Mendis ended up with Gujarat Titans and why the leagues changed
The article notes that both the IPL and PSL were halted last year due to armed conflict between India and Pakistan following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. With multiple overseas players not returning for the remainder of the competitions, franchises and teams were forced to bring in replacements.
- Both the IPL and PSL were stopped last year due to the armed conflict following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
- As overseas players didn’t return for remaining matches, teams signed replacement players.
- In the IPL, franchises could use temporary replacements for the rest of the season.
- Those temporary players were not eligible to be kept for the December mini auction and had to re-enter the player pool.
Mendis’s pathway from PSL player auction to IPL debut
Mendis’s PSL 2026 status and IPL background are both outlined in the source account. He was signed by Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL player auction in February for PKR 4.2 crore. The same profile also details his earlier IPL stint with Gujarat Titans.
- Mendis was signed by Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL player auction in February for PKR 4.2 crore.
- He joined Peshawar Zalmi for PSL 2026 after being brought in as the replacement for Jos Buttler, who left for national duty in May.
- In the IPL, Mendis joined Gujarat Titans as a replacement for Buttler’s mid-season departure.
For Gujarat Titans, the source specifies that the 2022 champions signed Mendis for Rs 75 lakh. It was his first appearance in the IPL, and he debuted in the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians, scoring 20 off 10 balls. Later, he went unsold at the IPL mini auction held in Abu Dhabi in December.
- Gujarat Titans signed Mendis for Rs 75 lakh.
- It was his first IPL stint.
- He debuted in the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians, scoring 20 off 10 balls.
- He was unsold at the IPL mini auction in Abu Dhabi in December.
The clip and the post-match exchange highlight how Mendis stayed away from IPL-related discussion, even as the reporter framed the conversation around his move from PSL to the Indian league and the later decision about his selection by Gujarat Titans.
