Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis did not respond to a question related to the Indian Premier League after the PSL 2026 match against Lahore Qalandars on Saturday at the National Stadium in Karachi.
In a video shared on social media, a person, possibly Peshawar City Media Director Zalmi, was also heard asking the reporter to keep questions limited to PSL 2026.A reporter asked Mendis, who plays for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2026, about his decision last year to leave the Pakistan Super League and join the Indian Super League. The reporter wondered if he had any ‘regrets’ about joining Gujarat Titans during the season despite being part of the Quetta Gladiators.
The question elicited a reaction from Mendes, but he did not answer.Mendis, who was signed by Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL player auction in February for PKR 4.2 crore, was speaking after his side’s 76-run win over Lahore Qalandars in Karachi. The 31-year-old scored 74 off 48 balls and was named man of the match.“Last year, it pulled out of the Pakistan Super League to play Gujarat Titans midway through the tournament. It showed some security concerns.
And now the Pakistan Super League gives you respect again and they (Gujarat Titans) did not choose you again. So, (do) you have any regrets about withdrawing from the Pakistan Super League last year? The reporter asked Mendes.
Mendes did not respond. “It’s a PSL question sir,” the journalist said when asked by the media director to keep the question limited to Zalmi’s or PSL performance.Both the IPL and PSL were suspended last year due to the armed conflict between India and Pakistan following a terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.With many foreign players not returning for the remaining matches in both leagues, teams had to sign substitutes. In the IPL, franchises were allowed to sign temporary replacements for the rest of the season, but those players could not be retained in the mini-auction in December and had to enter the player pool again.Mendis joined Gujarat Titans as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who left for national duty in May. The 2022 champions signed him for Rs 75 lakh. This was his first IPL stint and he made his Eliminator debut against Mumbai Indians, scoring 20 off 10 balls.Mendis subsequently went unsold in the IPL mini-auction held in Abu Dhabi in December.