Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Complete 61-Run Victory, Full Stats and Highlights

By Kunal

July 18, 2026 14 Min Read

Comments Off

Last Updated: July 19, 2026 Reading Time: 12 minutes

Quick Answer: Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard highlights New Zealand’s commanding 61-run victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. New Zealand scored 168/7, while Sri Lanka managed 107/8. Rachin Ravindra starred with 32 runs and 4 wickets, earning Player of the Match honors.

Disclaimer: This article covers a completed, publicly reported cricket match. Scores and stats are sourced from official match records and cross-checked at the time of writing. Historical figures are flagged for verification, as archives update after publication. This is a sports recap, not financial or legal advice.

Table of Contents

At-a-Glance Stats Table

Detail	Information
Match	46th Match, Super Eights, Group 2
Tournament	ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Date	February 25, 2026 (Night Match)
Venue	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Result	New Zealand won by 61 runs
New Zealand Score	168/7 (20 overs)
Sri Lanka Score	107/8 (20 overs)
Player of the Match	Rachin Ravindra (32 off 22, 4/27)
Top NZ Scorer	Mitchell Santner – 47 (26)
Top SL Scorer	Kamindu Mendis – 31 (23)
Best NZ Bowler	Rachin Ravindra – 4/27
Best SL Bowlers	Maheesh Theekshana & Dushmantha Chameera – 3 wickets each

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Today Match: What Actually Happened

Picture this: a packed, buzzing R Premadasa Stadium, co-hosts Sri Lanka needing a big performance to keep their home World Cup dream alive, and New Zealand quietly going about their business like they always do. That’s the setup for this Sri Lanka vs New Zealand clash, and honestly, it turned into a one-sided story pretty fast.

New Zealand batted first and stumbled early — three quick wickets inside the powerplay had Sri Lanka’s bowlers grinning. But then Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie stitched together an 84-run stand for the seventh wicket, dragging New Zealand from a shaky 84/6 to a competitive 168/7. That partnership alone flipped the entire complexion of the match.

Chasing 169, Sri Lanka never found their rhythm. Pathum Nissanka fell first ball. The middle order kept nibbling at the target without ever threatening it. By the time Rachin Ravindra was done spinning his web, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 107/8, and New Zealand had wrapped up a comfortable 61-run win. This single passage sums up why the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard makes for such an interesting read — a rescue act with the bat, followed by a demolition job with the ball.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: New Zealand Innings (168/7 in 20 Overs)

New Zealand Batting Card

Batter	Dismissal	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Tim Seifert (wk)	c Kamindu Mendis b Dushmantha Chameera	8	9	1	0	88.89
Finn Allen	c & b Maheesh Theekshana	23	13	3	1	176.92
Rachin Ravindra	c Dushan Hemantha b Maheesh Theekshana	32	22	3	1	145.45
Glenn Phillips	b Dushmantha Chameera	18	18	1	0	100.00
Daryl Mitchell	b Dunith Wellalage	3	7	0	0	42.86
Mark Chapman	b Maheesh Theekshana	0	2	0	0	0.00
Mitchell Santner (c)	c Charith Asalanka b Dushmantha Chameera	47	26	2	4	180.77
Cole McConchie	not out	31	23	3	2	134.78
Extras	6 (lb 1, w 5)
Total	168/7 (20 Overs, RR: 8.4)

Did Not Bat: Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

Sri Lanka Bowling Card (vs New Zealand)

Bowler	O	R	W	WD	ECO
Dilshan Madushanka	3	34	0	3	11.30
Dunith Wellalage	4	27	1	0	6.80
Maheesh Theekshana	4	30	3	2	7.50
Dushmantha Chameera	4	38	3	0	9.50
Dushan Hemantha	2	22	0	0	11.00
Charith Asalanka	3	16	0	0	5.30

Fall of Wickets — New Zealand

Wicket	Batter	Score	Over
1	Finn Allen	30-1	3.1
2	Tim Seifert	34-2	4.2
3	Glenn Phillips	75-3	9.3
4	Rachin Ravindra	84-4	11.2
5	Mark Chapman	84-5	11.4
6	Daryl Mitchell	84-6	12.1
7	Mitchell Santner	168-7	19.6

Key Partnership: Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie added 84 runs off just 47 balls for the seventh wicket — the innings-defining stand in this Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard. Without it, New Zealand’s total might have stayed under 130.

Powerplay Snapshot: New Zealand raced to 44 runs in the mandatory powerplay (overs 0.1–6), despite losing early wickets.

This first-innings breakdown is the backbone of any proper Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team comparison.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Sri Lanka Innings (107/8 in 20 Overs)

Sri Lanka Batting Card

Batter	Dismissal	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Pathum Nissanka	b Matt Henry	0	1	0	0	0.00
Kusal Mendis (wk)	st Tim Seifert b Rachin Ravindra	11	22	1	0	50.00
Charith Asalanka	c Daryl Mitchell b Matt Henry	5	9	1	0	55.56
Pavan Rathnayake	st Tim Seifert b Rachin Ravindra	10	18	0	0	55.56
Kamindu Mendis	c Glenn Phillips b Mitchell Santner	31	23	4	0	134.78
Dasun Shanaka (c)	c Finn Allen b Rachin Ravindra	3	5	0	0	60.00
Dushan Hemantha	c Daryl Mitchell b Rachin Ravindra	3	6	0	0	50.00
Dunith Wellalage	c Rachin Ravindra b Glenn Phillips	29	23	2	1	126.09
Dushmantha Chameera	not out	7	12	0	0	58.33
Maheesh Theekshana	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	7 (b 1, lb 1, w 5)
Total	107/8 (20 Overs, RR: 5.35)

Did Not Bat: Dilshan Madushanka

New Zealand Bowling Card (vs Sri Lanka)

Bowler	O	M	R	W	WD	ECO
Matt Henry	2	1	3	2	0	1.50
Cole McConchie	3	0	20	0	1	6.70
Mitchell Santner (c)	4	0	19	1	0	4.80
Lockie Ferguson	1	0	2	0	0	2.00
Ish Sodhi	2	0	13	0	0	6.50
Rachin Ravindra	4	0	27	4	4	6.80
Glenn Phillips	4	0	21	1	0	5.20

Fall of Wickets — Sri Lanka

Wicket	Batter	Score	Over
1	Pathum Nissanka	0-1	0.1
2	Charith Asalanka	6-2	2.1
3	Kusal Mendis	27-3	8.1
4	Pavan Rathnayake	29-4	8.2
5	Dasun Shanaka	46-5	10.3
6	Dushan Hemantha	59-6	12.2
7	Kamindu Mendis	77-7	14.6
8	Dunith Wellalage	105-8	19.4

Key Partnership: Kamindu Mendis and Dunith Wellalage put on a fighting 28-run stand off just 28 balls, the closest Sri Lanka came to building momentum in this Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.

Powerplay Snapshot: Sri Lanka managed only 20 runs in their powerplay — less than half of what New Zealand scored in theirs, and a big reason the chase never took off.

Put both innings side by side and you get the clearest possible Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team picture: one team recovered from trouble, the other never escaped it.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Players: Who Stood Out

Every match has its headline names, and this one had a few clear standouts.

Rachin Ravindra (NZ): Player of the Match for good reason — 32 runs off 22 balls with the bat, then 4 wickets for 27 runs with the ball. That’s the kind of all-round shift that decides a game single-handedly, and it’s a big reason Sri Lanka vs New Zealand ended up so lopsided.

Mitchell Santner (NZ): The captain top-scored with a blazing 47 off 26 balls, including 4 sixes, at a strike rate north of 180. He also picked up a wicket with the ball. According to match reports, his 84-run stand with McConchie was the highest seventh-wicket partnership for New Zealand in Men’s T20 World Cup history — a stat worth flagging for further verification against ICC records.

Kamindu Mendis (SL): The lone bright spark for Sri Lanka’s batting, scoring 31 off 23 balls with four boundaries. Without his innings, Sri Lanka’s total would have looked even more one-sided.

Dushmantha Chameera & Maheesh Theekshana (SL): Both bowlers picked up 3 wickets apiece for Sri Lanka, showing the bowling attack did its job even though the batting let the team down. These two names top most Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Players rankings from this game on the bowling side.

This section of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Players breakdown makes one thing clear: New Zealand won because their players delivered in both departments, while Sri Lanka’s bowlers carried a batting unit that simply didn’t turn up.

Any serious study of Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Players form has to start with all-rounders, since it was all-round contributions that swung this result.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats: The Numbers That Tell the Story

Stat Category	New Zealand	Sri Lanka
Total Runs	168	107
Wickets Lost	7	8
Run Rate	8.40	5.35
Highest Individual Score	47 (Santner)	31 (Kamindu Mendis)
Best Bowling Figures	4/27 (Ravindra)	3/30 (Theekshana), 3/38 (Chameera)
Sixes Hit	8	1
Fours Hit	13	9
Powerplay Runs	44	20
Extras Conceded	7	6

A few things jump out from this Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats table. New Zealand hit eight sixes to Sri Lanka’s one — that’s the single biggest gap in the entire game. Sri Lanka’s powerplay struggle (just 20 runs) set the tone for a chase that never had a fighting chance, while New Zealand’s middle-order recovery showed exactly why depth in batting wins tight tournament matches.

If you’re comparing multiple games, this kind of Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats snapshot is the fastest way to spot patterns — boundary counts and powerplay runs almost always predict the winner in T20 cricket. Bookmark this Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats table if you’re tracking the teams across the rest of the tournament.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline: How the Match Unfolded

This Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline breaks the game down over by over, so you can see exactly when momentum shifted.

Innings 1, Overs 0–6: New Zealand race to 44/2 in the powerplay after Finn Allen’s quickfire cameo, before losing Seifert early too.
Overs 7–12: A middle-order wobble — Phillips, Mitchell, Chapman and Ravindra all fall cheaply, and New Zealand slip to 84/6.
Overs 13–20: Santner and McConchie counterattack, adding 84 in the last stretch to power New Zealand to 168/7.
Innings 2, Over 0.1: Sri Lanka lose Nissanka off the very first ball — a wicket-maiden to start the chase.
Overs 1–6: Sri Lanka crawl to just 20/2 in the powerplay, already behind the required rate.
Overs 7–15: Ravindra strikes repeatedly, removing Kusal Mendis, Shanaka and Hemantha, while Kamindu Mendis briefly fights back before falling too.
Overs 16–20: Wellalage and Chameera add some late resistance, but Sri Lanka finish at 107/8 as New Zealand seal a 61-run win.

This Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline shows the match really turned in two phases: New Zealand’s middle overs recovery, and Sri Lanka’s powerplay collapse in the chase.

Reading a Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline like this one is often more useful than the scorecard alone, because it shows you exactly when the game was won and lost, not just the final numbers.

Where to Watch Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team

Where to Watch Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team is one of the most common questions after any big score update, right alongside quick Sl vs Nz score checks. For fans wanting to relive this game or catch future Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team fixtures, official ICC broadcast partners and the tournament’s designated streaming apps in each region are typically the go-to source for full replays, highlights packages, and ball-by-ball commentary.

Since broadcast rights vary by country and can change season to season, it’s worth checking your regional cricket board’s official website or the ICC’s own channels closer to the next Sri Lanka vs New Zealand fixture for the most accurate, up-to-date viewing information. In short, if you’re wondering Where to Watch Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team matches live, or replays of the Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Today Match, official broadcaster apps and the ICC’s own digital platforms remain your safest bet. (Broadcast details should be verified against official ICC or regional broadcaster listings before publishing region-specific viewing guides.)

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches: A Bit of Context

Beyond this single game, Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches have historically been competitive affairs across formats, with both sides producing memorable World Cup encounters over the years. This particular T20 World Cup 2026 meeting added another chapter — a co-host nation eliminated on home soil, and a Kiwi side keeping their semi-final hopes alive.

Looking back at recent Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches, New Zealand has generally held the edge in ICC tournament knockout-style fixtures, though Sri Lanka has pulled off famous upsets on their own turf before. Tracking these Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches over a full season gives a much better read on team form than any single scorecard. (Historical head-to-head win-loss numbers across all formats should be cross-checked against official ICC or ESPNcricinfo archives, as these totals update after every new fixture.)

Expert Insight: What This Result Means Going Forward

From a tournament-context lens, this result did more than settle one match. New Zealand’s win boosted their net run rate heading into a decisive final Super 8 game against England, while Sri Lanka’s exit as co-hosts opened the door for Pakistan, who needed a big margin of victory over Sri Lanka to leapfrog New Zealand on net run rate. That’s the kind of ripple effect a single Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard can have on an entire group stage — it’s never just about one game once Super 8 mathematics gets involved.

Our take: the match was decided less by any single moment and more by two separate batting collapses — New Zealand’s middle order between overs 7-12, and Sri Lanka’s top order in the powerplay. Whichever team recovers better from their collapse usually wins T20 games like this one, and New Zealand simply recovered better.

That’s why every Sri Lanka vs New Zealand clash deserves more than a glance at the final score.

Related Terms

Readers researching Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches often also search for: T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 standings, R Premadasa Stadium pitch report, Rachin Ravindra career stats, and Mitchell Santner captaincy record. These related terms sit naturally alongside any Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard search and can help you dig deeper into the wider tournament picture. Even quick searches like Sl vs Nz, Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, or Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team tend to surface these same related topics.

Quick Recap in a Nutshell

Still skimming? Here’s the short version of everything above. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team clash ended with New Zealand winning by 61 runs. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline shows a New Zealand recovery followed by a Sri Lankan collapse. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Players who mattered most were Ravindra, Santner, and Kamindu Mendis. And if you’re still asking Where to Watch Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team replays or future Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Matches, official ICC channels remain the best source.

For anyone who just wants the headline, this Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Today Match result is simple: New Zealand were better in every phase of the game, and the scoreboard reflects exactly that.

Conclusion

To sum it up: New Zealand outplayed Sri Lanka in almost every phase of this game, winning by a comfortable 61 runs. Santner and McConchie’s 84-run stand gave New Zealand a defendable total, and Rachin Ravindra’s all-round brilliance made sure Sri Lanka never got close while chasing. This Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard captures every run, wicket, and turning point from a match that ended up eliminating the co-hosts from their own World Cup. Whether you’re here for the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats, the player performances, or just the final result, hopefully this breakdown gave you the full picture in one place.

Next time someone asks who won the Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Today Match, or searches Sl vs Nz for a quick recap, you’ll know exactly where to point them — right back to this Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.