Narangoda Liyanaarachchige Thisara Chirantha Perera (Sinhala: තිසර පෙරේරා; born 3 April 1989), popularly known as Thisara Perera, is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer who represented the national team across all three formats of the game. A bowling all-rounder, he is an aggressive left-handed batsman known for striking sixes in the death overs and a useful right-arm medium-fast bowler. He also captained Sri Lanka in the limited-overs formats.
| Full name | Narangoda Liyanaarachchige Thisara Chirantha Perera |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 April 1989 |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Role | Bowling all-rounder |
| National side | Sri Lanka (all formats) |
| Domestic teams | Sri Lanka Army Sports Club; Jaffna Stallions (Lanka Premier League) |
| Major honour | 2014 ICC World Twenty20 winner |
| Nickname | "Panda" (in Australia); "TP" (preferred) |
| International retirement | 3 May 2021 |
At domestic level, Perera plays for the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club in the Premier Trophy and the Premier Limited-Overs Tournament. In the Lanka Premier League he has represented the Jaffna Stallions. He has also appeared in numerous franchise Twenty20 leagues around the world, including a stint with the Brisbane Heat in Australia's Big Bash League, where the nickname "panda" was given to him by George Bailey. Perera has stated that he prefers the nickname "TP".
Perera was a member of the Sri Lankan squad that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, and scored the winning boundary in the final. He went on to lead Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket.
On 3 May 2021, Perera announced his retirement from international cricket. He confirmed at the time that he would continue to play domestic and franchise cricket.
Perera is regarded as one of Sri Lanka's most prominent limited-overs all-rounders of his generation. His role in the country's 2014 World Twenty20 triumph, his record-setting hitting against South Africa in 2013, and his six sixes in an over in 2021 mark him out as a significant white-ball cricketer in Sri Lankan cricket history.