Sri Lanka Cricket's much-awaited awards night made a spectacular comeback on Monday, hosting the best cricketing performances of the 2024 calendar year. The event, which was staged annually for the first time since 2017, recognized outstanding contributions across both international and domestic circuits. Kamindu Mendis and Chamari Athapaththu were the biggest winners of the night, taking home the coveted Men's and Women's Cricketer of the Year honors.

Kamindu was rewarded for a remarkable Test season in which he had scored 1049 runs at a 74.92 average from just nine matches for being the Best Test Batter. His run tally was only beaten by four international cricketers who appeared in more matches. In white-ball cricket, the award for best T20I batter went to Kusal Mendis, who had scored 628 runs at a 127.64 strike rate. Pathum Nissanka won the ODI batter award with 694 runs at 63.09, including a historic undefeated 210 against Afghanistan—the first-ever white-ball double hundred by a Sri Lankan.

Chamari Athapaththu swept the women's categories with six awards in total. She was crowned the Women's Cricketer of the Year and collected all three T20I awards—best batter, bowler, and all-rounder—due to her 720 runs and 21 wickets. In ODIs, she was recognized as both the best batter and best all-rounder, scoring 458 runs at 65.42 and claiming nine wickets. Only Kavisha Dilhari’s 17 ODI wickets kept Athapaththu from a clean sweep, as she secured the ODI bowling award.

Broad recognition across formats and domestic cricket

For the men's Test category, Prabath Jayasuriya was awarded Best Bowler after taking 48 wickets from nine matches, putting him among the world's best performers. Dhananjaya de Silva took home Best Test All-Rounder for his 710 runs and six wickets in ten games. Wanindu Hasaranga had a great year in limited-overs cricket, winning Best Bowler in both ODIs and T20Is and the Best T20I All-Rounder award after claiming 64 wickets in the formats.

Charith Asalanka was awarded the ODI All-Rounder of the Year for his 605 runs and ten wickets, playing a pivotal part in Sri Lanka's 12-3 record in the format. Janith Liyanage, having made his ODI debut in early 2024, won Emerging Player of the Year for his 462 runs at 46.20.

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Domestic cricket was also in the limelight, with women's performances awarded for the first time. Rashmi Silva, Harshitha Samarawickrama, and Nilakshika Silva were among the best award winners in the Major Club Women's Invitational. Chamika Karunaratne, Akila Dananjaya, and others were among the top award winners in men's domestic competitions across formats. 46 awards were distributed, including Umpire and Match Referee of the Year and a number of Lifetime Achievement Awards. The occasion was attended by a number of previous and present cricketers, with Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage as the guest of honor.