Colombo, February 26: New Zealand secured a convincing victory against Sri Lanka by 61 runs in the Super-8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 held at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. With this defeat, Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the title race.
Sri Lanka lost both of their initial matches in the Super-8 stage, having previously faced a 51-run defeat against England. England has already qualified for the semifinals after winning their first two matches in Group-1. Currently, New Zealand stands second in the group with 3 points from 2 matches, while Pakistan holds third place with 1 point from 2 games.
Sri Lanka is set to play their final match of the World Cup against Pakistan on February 28. Meanwhile, New Zealand will face England on February 27, aiming to secure a win to advance to the knockout stage.
In the match played on Wednesday, New Zealand, batting first after losing the toss, scored 168 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. The opening pair provided a steady start, with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen contributing 30 runs in just 3.1 overs. Allen scored 23 runs, while Seifert managed 8 runs before departing.
New Zealand lost two wickets for just 34 runs, but Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra formed a crucial partnership, adding 41 runs for the third wicket. Rachin scored 32 runs off 22 balls, hitting 4 boundaries.
After the partnership was broken, New Zealand appeared to collapse, losing 6 wickets for just 84 runs. However, captain Mitchell Santner (47) partnered with Cole McConchie (unbeaten 31) to add 84 runs for the seventh wicket in 47 balls, helping the team reach a challenging total. For Sri Lanka, Mahesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera each took 3 wickets, while Dunith Wellalage claimed 1 wicket.
In response, Sri Lanka managed to score only 107 runs, losing 8 wickets in their allotted overs. They suffered an early blow, losing Pathum Nissanka (0) on the very first ball, followed by Charith Asalanka (5) at a score of 6.
Pawan Ratnayake added 10 runs, while Kusal Mendis scored 31 runs off 23 balls, hitting 4 fours. Dunith Wellalage contributed 29 runs, but Sri Lanka could not avoid a humiliating defeat.
Rachin Ravindra was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding bowling performance, taking 4 wickets for 27 runs, while Matt Henry claimed 2 wickets and captain Santner took 1 wicket.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
