Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former professional cricketer who has officiated in more than 200 men’s international cricket matches across all formats (Tests, ODIs, T20Is), as of November 2022. Before his international umpiring career began in 2009, he had represented Sri Lanka, as an all-rounder, between September 1993 and March 2004, in 31 Tests and 141 ODIs. Across these matches, he scored a combined total of 2,090 international runs and aggregated 207 international wickets. He was an integral member of the Sri Lankan squad that won the 1996 edition of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup, the first time that the country had achieved this feat. In the Sri Lankan domestic circuit, he had turned out for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club (1988-2006), Nondescripts Cricket Club (1992), and Moratuwa Cricket Club (1994). He retired from all forms of competitive cricket in November 2006.
Born Name
Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumara Dharmasena
Nick Name
Kumar, Unanduwa
Kumar Dharmasena as seen in an Instagram Post in November 2022 (Kumar Dharmasena / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Taurus
Born Place
Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Residence
Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Nationality
Education
Kumar had attended Nalanda College, a leading Buddhist school for boys in Colombo.
Occupation
Cricket Umpire, Professional Cricketer (Retired)
Kumar Dharmasena as seen in an Instagram Post in September 2022 (Kumar Dharmasena / Instagram)
Family
Father – Handunnettige Dharmasena (d. September 2010)
Mother – Chandrani Dahanayake
Batting
Right-Handed
Bowling
Right-Arm Off-Break
Role
All-Rounder
Jersey Number
66 – One Day International (ODI)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
67 kg or 147.5 lbs
Kumar Dharmasena as seen in an Instagram Post in October 2022 (Kumar Dharmasena / Instagram)
Girlfriend / Spouse
Kumar has dated –
Dushyanthi Gunewardena (1998-Present) – Kumar married Dushyanthi Gunewardena in July 1998 and the couple has 4 children together – a son named Kavishka Dharmasena and 3 daughters named Ashalya Dharmasena, Amanya Dharmasena, and Diyenka Dharmasena.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Sri Lankan descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Short-cropped hair
Clean-shaven look
Affable smile
Kumar Dharmasena as seen in an Instagram Post in August 2022 (Kumar Dharmasena / Instagram)
Kumar Dharmasena Facts
Kumar made his ODI debut in August 1994 and recorded his first duck (dismissal without scoring a run) in the format in December 2001. This gave him the world record for having played the most number of ODI innings (72) before being dismissed for a duck, a record that was still intact as of November 2022.
In 1996, after Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Government of Sri Lanka honored him and 12 other Sri Lankan cricketers with the title of ‘Deshabandu’, the 3rd highest national honor awarded in Sri Lanka.
In June 1997, Kumar was involved in a 91-run partnership with Dulip Liyanage for the 8th wicket during an ODI match against the West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This set a new Sri Lankan record for the highest 8th-wicket partnership in ODI matches, a record that was still intact as of November 2022.
In 1998, the ICC investigated his bowling action to ascertain if he was overstretching his arm to an illegal amount during his delivery stride. He was cleared in July 2000.
In 2012, Kumar won the prestigious ‘David Shepherd Trophy’, awarded annually since 2004 by the ICC to the best international umpire of the year. He was just the 3rd umpire to have received this award after Simon Taufel (2004-2008) of Australia and Aleem Dar (2009-2011) of Pakistan. He won the award again in 2018 and remains, as of November 2022, the only Sri Lankan to have achieved this feat.
When he was chosen to be one of the 2 on-field umpires for the 2015 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, he became the first person in history to have participated in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup both as a player (1996) and as an umpire (2015). He later umpired the final of the 2019 edition as well.
Kumar also stood in the final of the 2016 and 2022 editions of the ICC WorldT20.
Along with his busy cricketing schedule, first as a player and later as an umpire, for several decades, he has managed the family plantation Pintanna in Ayagama, Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. The 150-acre property is known for its tea, rubber, cinnamon, and pepper cultivation. He is the founder and chairperson of Pintanna Plantations Pvt. Ltd.
