On 5 November 2016, Kulasekara was recalled for the tri-series with Zimbabwe and the West Indies; he picked up two wickets against West Indies to go with his two in the first match against Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka won the series by defeating Zimbabwe in the final, and Kulasekara took one wicket in that final. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the series, with eight wickets and an average of 22.50. During the Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, Kulasekara helped Sri Lanka end their ODI drought by taking four wickets for 37 runs; Sri Lanka won the third ODI match by 70 runs.