New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in the 46th match of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The match is being played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bowl.
New Zealand, batting first, had a poor start, losing six wickets for 84 runs. Captain Mitchell Santner then continued his impressive batting, scoring 47 runs off 26 balls. Cole McConchie also supported him, scoring an unbeaten 31. Coming in at number 3, Rachin Ravindra contributed 32 runs off 22 balls. The team made 168 runs in 20 overs, losing seven wickets. Rachin Ravindra bowled economically for New Zealand, taking 4 wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs.
Chasing a target of 169, Sri Lanka didn’t get off to a good start. The in-form Pathum Nissanka fell on the very first ball of the innings, putting the team on the back foot. They didn’t have a chance to recover, and Matt Henry came in his second over to dismiss Charith Asalanka, giving the team two major blows for just 6 runs. From there, Pawan Rathnayake (10) and Kusal Mendis (11) steadied the innings. Tight bowling was evident, resulting in the pair scoring just 20 runs in the powerplay. The required run rate rose above 10, forcing the batsmen to look for big shots to bring it down. The wicket offered sharp turn for the spinners, and Rachin Ravindra and the other spinners capitalized on this by taking wickets one after the other, leaving the Sri Lankans reeling for just 59 runs. Kamindu Mendis (31) held his nerve at one end, but no Sri Lankan batsman could handle the turn at the other. While Dunith Wellalage did chip in with a 29-run knock, it wasn’t enough to secure victory.
Sri Lanka’s journey to the T20 World Cup 2026 is over.
