Krishan Kalugamez runs a pizza restaurant in Lucca and is playing the 2026 T20 World Cup for Italy as a legspin bowler. The journey from Sri Lanka to Italy, return to spin through fast bowling and hard work took him to this position.
Nepal vs Italy T20 World Cup Match Score: The match between Nepal and Mumbai is being played on 12 February in the 17th match of Group C in the T20 World Cup. Batting first at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Nepal’s team faltered and collapsed on the score of just 123 runs. Italy’s bowler Krishan Kalugamez did the work of pushing Nepal on the back foot.
Krishan Kalugamage sent Nepal’s three leading batsmen to the pavilion after giving away just 18 runs in 4 overs. Apart from them, Ben Manenti took 2 wickets, Ali Hasan, JJ Smits and Jaspreet Singh took 1 wicket each. Thanks to Italy’s brilliant bowling, Nepal’s first wicket fell at the score of just 8 runs. After this, the second and third wickets fell for 49 runs, fourth for 93 runs, fifth for 96 runs, sixth for 100 runs, seventh and eighth for 102 runs and ninth-tenth wicket for 123 runs.
What does Krishan Kalugame do apart from cricket?
Krishan Kalugamez makes excellent pizza. He has a pizza restaurant in Lucca city of Tuscany in Italy, where he himself kneads the dough by hand. But when he takes time out from his restaurant work, he swings the cricket ball with equal precision on Rome’s Astroturf field. His real passion is legspin bowling, which he continues to hone.
Cricket is not just a hobby, it is a strong dream.
Cricket has never been just a hobby for Kalugamez. This is an important part of their life. Along with work, he always maintained his commitment towards sports. He believed that one day this sport would bring him great success. Now his dream has come true. He is part of the Italy team in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Emotional moment representing Italy in the World Cup
It’s hard to put into words what it felt like after qualifying for the World Cup, says Kalugamez. Many of us cried because it was our dream to play in the World Cup. It is even more special for me because the tournament is taking place in Sri Lanka and India. When the Italian national anthem was played in the first match, I felt very proud. I have always maintained the feeling of respecting my jersey.
Journey from Sri Lanka to Italy
Kalugamage was 16 when his parents moved from Sri Lanka to Italy in 2007 for work. It was an emotionally difficult time for him. He felt that his dream of becoming a professional cricketer would probably remain unfulfilled. His childhood in Negombo was spent listening to cricket commentary on the radio with his grandfather and playing cricket with friends at school. He was also a part of his school’s Under-13 and Under-15 teams.
The journey from fast bowler to becoming a legspinner
The length of Kalugamage increased rapidly with time. He thought that he should become a fast bowler. He also got a chance to play as a fast bowler in Italy’s A team. In 2019 he also spent time with Sri Lanka’s domestic team Kandy Customs Cricket Club as a fast bowler. But he suffered many injuries while bowling fast. Due to persistent injuries, he made a comeback as a legspinner in 2021.