Portrait of Kumar Sangakkara

Birthday profile

Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer

Born
October 27, 1977
Age in 2026
49
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1977

About Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (Sinhala: කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. A former captain for Sri Lanka in all formats. Born in Matale, Central Province, Sangakkara played first-class cricket for Nondescripts Cricket Club from 1997–98 to 2013–14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 2015 to 2017. He was a key part of the Sri Lankan squads which won the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2014 T20 World Cup. Sangakkara played mostly as a wicket-keeper-batter and is generally regarded as one of the greatest wicket-keeper-batters in cricket history. His 38 Test centuries and 25 in ODIs are both highest for a wicket-keeper. He batted left-handed and, although he rarely bowled, was a right-arm off spinner. Combining all three forms of international cricket, Sangakkara is the third-highest run-scorer in international cricket, having amassed a total of 28,016 including 63 centuries. He has received four individual ICC awards. In 2012 he won Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year. Also he won ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year twice in 2011 and 2013. He was named Wisden Leading Men's Cricketer in the World for both 2011 and 2014. As of July 2025, Sangakkara is one of only 15 players to have scored 10,000 or more runs in Test cricket, and has the highest average of those who have achieved this feat. Since retirement, he has worked as a commentator for Sky Sports and served as President of the MCC from October 2019 to September 2021. In January 2021, Sangakkara also became the coach of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League from 2021-2024.He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in June 2021, the second Sri Lankan player to be inducted after Muttiah Muralitharan.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Kumar Sangakkara timeline

  1. Born in Matale, Central Province, Sangakkara played first-class cricket for Nondescripts Cricket Club from 1997–98 to 2013–14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 2015 to 2017.
  2. He was a key part of the Sri Lankan squads which won the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2014 T20 World Cup.
  3. Also he won ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year twice in 2011 and 2013.
  4. In 2012 he won Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.

The world when Kumar Sangakkara was born

Kumar Sangakkara was born in 1977. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1977

  • #1 song"You Light Up My Life" – Debby Boone
  • Top movieStar Wars
  • Top TV showHappy Days
  • Best-selling bookThe Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentPelé retires after final match with the New York Cosmos
  • Top headlineStar Wars premieres and changes cinema forever
  • Technology milestoneApple II computer released
  • Defining fadStar Wars mania
  • Notable inventionAtari 2600 video game console
  • World population4.23 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonPortland Trail Blazers (NBA)
  • U.S. population220.2M

1977 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Kumar Sangakkara's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19772026
Gas$0.62$3.45/gal
Average home$49,300$435,000
Average income$16,009$67,500
Minimum wage$2.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.23$11.95
Postage stamp$0.13$0.73
Population220.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, ESPNcricinfo. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.