New Delhi: Kumar Dharmasena is a well-known figure in the cricket world despite not being a player. He officiates international cricket matches across the globe as an umpire and has been pursuing the profession for quite a long time now. As it turns out, this isn’t the only profession that he is into! Yes… much to the surprise of most of cricket fanatics, Dharmasena is much more than deciding a player’s fate in a game and signalling runs.
Known for being one of the most accurate umpires and for his apt knowledge of the game, Sri Lanka’s Dharmasena is one of the respected figures in the umpiring circuit. Not many are aware that the 53-year-old has been in the scent business for some time now and had already been informed about launching his own perfume brand last year. It seems, the product has finally rolled out into the Sri Lankan market as several images of the “uniquely designed” perfume bottle have lately gone viral.
He named the brand “Unanduwa” which is a Sinhalese word meaning “the hardworking one.” His brand stores are already spread across the island nation and some of the stores are also present in the Middle East. He announced this venture last year – to enter the premium perfume industry and has entered the market with a bang as conveyed by his unique bottle design. The bottle style looks like a carving of Dharmasena himself, donning sunglasses and a round hat which the umpires generally use.
On my first day after the ICC World Cup tour in India, I’m proud to say that I will be launching my perfume brand “UNANDUWA” soon!
Join hands with me as we launch our very own SRI LANKAN product! ❤️❤️❤️#unanduwa #pintanna #silani pic.twitter.com/RagEYy0YZ7— Kumar Dharmasena (@KumarDofficial) November 17, 2023
Here’s the picture of Dharmasena’s Prestige OUD bottle –
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Dharmasena’s cricketing stints
Dharmasena played international cricket for Sri Lanka from 1993 to 2004. He was a handy all-rounder whose obscure action made him perfect for bowling in the ODIs. He rarely played Test cricket in his career and after quitting the game as a player, he decided to stay close to the game and became an umpire. His first international match was the India vs Sri Lanka ODI clash in Dambulla in 2009. He got his next big duty when he was announced as one of the umpires for the 2011 World Cup.
Currently, it has been a long time since he was appointed to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires (in 2012). At the ICC Awards in 2012, he was named the umpire of the year and received the David Shepherd Trophy. He even officiated the 2015 World Cup and its final as well, becoming the first to play in and to umpire World Cup finals. He umpired the 2016 T20 World Cup as well.
He again received the David Shepherd trophy in 2019 and was named as one of the umpires to stand in at the 2019 World Cup matches. His next big events were the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. Besides the ICC events, he is a regular in the bilateral Test, ODI, and T20I series and also stands in league cricket across the globe.
