Rachin Ravindra turned the game on its head with a career-best 4 for 27 as New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka by 61 runs in a Super Eights clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The defeat knocked out the co-hosts in front of their home crowd and significantly boosted New Zealand’s net run rate in the race for the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka had New Zealand in deep trouble at 84 for 6 before Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie engineered a stunning recovery with a record 84-run stand for the seventh wicket. Their counterattack, which yielded 70 runs in the last four overs, propelled New Zealand to 168 for 7. Santner’s 47 provided the thrust, while Ravindra chipped in with 32 to revive an innings that seemed destined to fall well short.
The chase unravelled instantly. Matt Henry struck with the first ball, removing Pathum Nissanka for a golden duck with a delivery that nipped back to breach his defence. Charith Asalanka showed brief resistance but fell to Henry’s return spell, miscuing to midwicket.
Sri Lanka limped to 20 for 2 in the PowerPlay, their second-lowest tally in that phase in T20Is, as New Zealand’s spinners exploited the dry surface by sending down 17 of the 20 overs. Ravindra varied his pace cleverly, drawing Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake out of their crease for successive stumpings before having Dasun Shanaka edge to backward point and Dushan Hemantha fall tamely.
Kamindu Mendis attempted to mount a counterattack with 31 off 23 balls, mixing reverse sweeps with conventional strokes, and Dunith Wellalage offered late resistance with a 23-ball 29. But Santner ended Kamindu’s stay, and Glenn Phillips dismissed Wellalage in the final over as Sri Lanka finished at 107 for 8.
The emphatic win strengthens New Zealand’s push towards the semi-finals, while Pakistan now face an uphill task even if results elsewhere go in their favour.
Brief scores: New Zealand 168/7 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 47, Rachin Ravindra 32; Maheesh Theekshana 3-30, Dushmantha Chameera 3-38) beat Sri Lanka 107/8 in 20 overs (Kamindu Mendis 31, Dunith Wellalage 29; Rachin Ravindra 4-27, Matt Henry 2-3) by 61 runs.
