Limansa Thilakaratne Is Earning Her Own Name: Dilshan’s Daughter Becomes Sri Lanka’s Next Big All-Rounder

Limansa Thilakaratne Is Earning Her Own Name: Dilshan’s Daughter Becomes Sri Lanka’s Next Big All-Rounder

AI-generated illustration. It does not depict Limansa Thilakaratne or any identifiable player.

At 18, Limansa Thilakaratne is building a cricketing identity through performances of her own. The Sri Lanka Under-19 all-rounder has moved from an early milestone in Australian cricket to a key role in her country’s youth team, producing decisive contributions at the 2025 U19 Women’s World Cup and in the current tri-nation series in Pakistan.

Known as “Limmy” in the dressing room, she is also the daughter of former Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan. That connection brings attention, but her recent record gives readers plenty of reasons to follow her in her own right.

From backyard cricket to the Victoria Under-16 squad

Limansa was born on 9 April 2008 to Dilshan and Sri Lankan actor Manjula Thilini. After Dilshan retired from international cricket in 2016, the family moved to Australia. Limansa’s cricket began informally, playing with tennis balls in the garden and at school.

In a 2026 profile with Sportstar, Limansa recalled that her mother sent video clips of her bowling to her father. Dilshan saw potential and began working with her regularly. The pair spent two to three hours after school on her game for a year.

In 2021, aged 12, she became the youngest female cricketer to play at the premier level when she was selected for Cricket Victoria’s Under-16 squad. She later made the Victoria Under-19 side and played regularly for Melbourne Cricket Club, where she scored a century.

That achievement is sometimes described too broadly. The verified milestone is her selection at 12 for Cricket Victoria’s Under-16 squad and her subsequent club cricket, not a claim that she was the youngest woman to play first-class club cricket in Australia.

AI-generated illustration of a leg-spin delivery; it does not depict Limansa.

Choosing Sri Lanka and shaping her bowling

The family later took Limansa to Sri Lanka, where Dilshan brought her to Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club in Colombo. She trialled for an Under-19 provincial side, impressed selectors and earned places in Sri Lanka’s squads for the inaugural U19 Asia Cup in 2024 and the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2025.

The decision to represent Sri Lanka, despite living in Australia, is a meaningful part of her story. Dilshan told Sportstar: “As a Sri Lankan captain, I’m happy for my daughter to play for Sri Lanka. Yes, we live in Australia… but as a Sri Lankan, I do want her to play for Sri Lanka.”

Limansa has spoken warmly about her father’s influence while making clear that the ambition is hers: “I’m actually really proud to be his daughter and to start a career, not because of him, but inspired by him.”

She is a left-hand batter and leg-spin all-rounder. Leg spin is a style of bowling that turns the ball away from a right-handed batter, using the wrist and fingers. A googly is a deceptive variation that turns the other way. Sportstar reports that the googly came naturally to Limansa, and Dilshan helped develop her leg spin while keeping the wrong’un as an alternative.

She is still refining her craft. “In my bowling, I’m trying to work on my speed. I am trying to bowl flatter and get the ball to turn more,” she told Sportstar. Her father’s advice is direct: “You’re following in my footsteps. You have to be better than me. Try and be better than me!”

A defining performance at the 2025 U19 Women’s World Cup

At the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia in January 2025, Limansa took seven wickets in four innings at an economy rate of 3.07. Economy rate measures the average number of runs a bowler concedes per over; the lower the figure, the fewer runs the opposition scores from that bowler’s deliveries. She finished as Sri Lanka’s second-highest wicket-taker, behind Chamodi Praboda, who took nine.

Her standout performance came against Australia in the Super Six stage. Sri Lanka had made 99 for eight, leaving its bowlers with a modest total to defend. Limansa took one wicket for 18 runs in four overs, dismissing Caoimhe Bray to end a dangerous 41-run partnership. She also took two catches and helped complete a run-out. Sri Lanka bowled Australia out for 87 to win by 12 runs, and Limansa was named Player of the Match.

Sri Lanka finished fifth overall. Limansa’s contribution, and the attention she received in the tournament build-up, marked her as a player to watch: ESPNcricinfo included her among five young cricketers to keep an eye on.

Limansa has also spoken about the example set by senior batter Chamari Athapaththu: “Chamari has set the bar so high for us. We don’t want to be exactly her, but we want to get to her level and then try to punch higher. She’s set the stage for us to do so, too!”

Strong form in Australia, then match-winning work in Pakistan

Limansa continued her progress in the Under-19 tri-series in Australia in April 2026, which also involved England. She took 11 wickets in four youth T20 internationals and scored 61 runs. Against England, she earned Player of the Match recognition as Sri Lanka defended 104.

Her latest contributions have come in Faisalabad, where Sri Lanka are competing in the Women’s U19 Tri-Nation T20 Series 2026/27.

Against Bangladesh, chasing 120, Limansa came in at No. 8 with two runs needed from the last ball. She drove Farjana Easmin towards long-off and dived to complete the second run, sealing a six-wicket victory in a last-ball finish. Sri Lanka’s first win of the series. The account from Wisden notes that she had made four consecutive ducks in youth T20Is before that pressure-filled moment.

AI-generated illustration. The players shown are not identifiable and do not represent a real team.

On 12 October, Sri Lanka faced Pakistan. Brought into the attack late, Limansa took three wickets for 14 runs in two overs, dismissing Aqsa Habib, Alzoha Hammad and Afsheen Imran. She then scored an unbeaten 16 from 22 balls as Sri Lanka chased 106 to win by six wickets, with 6.3 overs to spare. The result secured top spot for Sri Lanka and eliminated Pakistan. Limansa was named Player of the Match, as reported by Wisden.

Two days later, in a group match against Bangladesh, she took three for 13 as the opposition were dismissed for 58 in 17.3 overs. Sri Lanka reached 59 for two in 10.4 overs, winning by eight wickets, and Limansa was again named Player of the Match. (Her unbeaten 16 came in the Pakistan match; in this game she finished 10 not out, according to the match records.) The PCB tournament record and Female Cricket’s report record the result and figures.

The legacy behind the name, and the player in front of it

A famous surname brings expectations. As Sportstar observes, “Tilakaratne” evokes the dependability of Hashan Tillakaratne and the innovation of Tillakaratne Dilshan. Hashan Tillakaratne is part of the wider Sri Lankan cricketing lineage; he is not Limansa’s father. Her father is Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose achievements include a World Cup triumph and the signature Dilscoop shot.

Limansa has been practising the Dilscoop with her father and says she is waiting for the right ball to try it in a match. The detail is a reminder that cricketing heritage can inspire without defining a player’s limits. For now, her own signature is developing through leg spin, steady batting and composure in important moments.

AI-generated cricket illustration; no real match or player is depicted.

Limansa Thilakaratne: key milestones and recent results

• Australia, 2021: Selected for Cricket Victoria’s Under-16 squad at 12, becoming the youngest female cricketer to play at the premier level.
• Malaysia, 2025: Seven wickets in four innings at an economy rate of 3.07; Player of the Match against Australia.
• Australia, April 2026: Eleven wickets in four youth T20 internationals; Player of the Match against England.
• Faisalabad, October 2026: Scored the winning runs from No. 8 in a last-ball Bangladesh thriller; took 3/14 against Pakistan and 3/13 against Bangladesh; earned Player of the Match awards in both victories.
• Final: Sri Lanka were scheduled to meet Bangladesh at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Friday 16 October. The result was pending at the time of writing.

From the second-most wickets for Sri Lanka at a World Cup to Player of the Match performances against Australia, England and Pakistan, Limansa Thilakaratne is no longer just “Dilshan’s daughter”. She is establishing herself as one of the most promising young all-rounders in Sri Lanka women’s cricket, and she is only 18.

The Sportstar page’s image link returned a placeholder rather than a retrievable photograph, so the images in this article are AI-generated illustrations and do not depict Limansa or other identifiable players.

Sources

• Original eLanka Facebook post
• Sportstar: Limansa Tilakaratne’s cricketing journey
• Wisden: Last-ball win over Bangladesh
• Wisden: Pakistan match and all-round performance
• ESPNcricinfo: U19 World Cup players to watch
• PCB: Women’s U19 Tri-Nation T20 Series 2026/27
• Female Cricket: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

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