New Zealand Stunning Win Knocks Sri Lanka Out of T20 World Cup

Mitchell Santner leads NZ's comeback, Rachin Ravindra stars in Sri Lanka exit

New Zealand defeats Sri Lanka by 61 runs, eliminating co-hosts from T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup ends with loss to New Zealand. England qualifies for semis.

“It was pretty tough to start out there, so to hit 160 was nice...”

New Zealand staged a stunning comeback to knock co-hosts Sri Lanka out of the T20 World Cup, crushing them by 61 runs in the Super Eights on Wednesday. Mitchell Santner led the charge with a captain's knock of 47 off 26 balls, rescuing New Zealand from a precarious 84-5 to post a competitive 168-7 at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Sri Lanka's hopes were dashed as they managed only 107-8 in reply, never recovering from a top-order collapse. Rachin Ravindra's 4-27 and Matt Henry's 2-3 were instrumental in New Zealand's victory, with Santner's all-round brilliance earning him a spot in the history books as the first New Zealand cricketer to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in T20Is.

Sri Lanka's innings ended at 107-8, as they failed to recover from a top-order collapse, suffering their second defeat in the Super Eight stage.

New Zealand's bowlers impressed, led by Rachin Ravindra's 4-27 and Matt Henry's 2-3, which helped seal the win.

Sri Lanka was under pressure after losing to England in their first Super Eight match, making this game a do-or-die situation. Electing to field, they started strong, showing urgency with the ball.

“It's embarrassing to disappoint the home crowd, they've been very supportive,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said.

“We wanted to restrict them to ‌130 but, to be honest, they played really well ⁠so we must give them credit.”

New Zealand's Strong Start Turns to Trouble

New Zealand started well, getting off to a strong start before losing openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert in successive overs.

They were 75-2 in the 10th over, but Sri Lanka's spinners turned the game, reducing New Zealand to 84-6. Maheesh Theekshana (3-30) was on fire, removing Ravindra (32) and Mark Chapman in the same over, turning the screw.

Mitchell Santner smashed four sixes as New Zealand plundered 70 runs from the last four overs, giving their bowlers a decent total to defend. New Zealand's aggressive batting ensured a competitive score.

Matt Henry started strong, bowling Pathum Nissanka for a duck with the first ball, and then deceived Charith Asalanka with a slower delivery in his next over. Player of the match Rachin Ravindra then dismantled Sri Lanka's middle order, derailing their chase.

Rachin Ravindra's left-arm spin did significant damage, sending down a two-wicket over where Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake were stumped, reducing Sri Lanka to 29-4 in the ninth over.

Ravindra also dismissed Shanaka for three, effectively sealing New Zealand's victory. Kamindu Mendis (31) and Dunith Wellalage (29) put up a brief fight, but Sri Lanka were never really in the chase.

A superb spell of 4/27 with the ball and useful runs with the bat propelled Rachin Ravindra to the @aramco POTM 🎖️ pic.twitter.com/aE3zQvQXiO

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 25, 2026

“It's one of ‌those wickets where, if you can get in and give yourself a bit of time, you can cash in,“ Santner said.

“It was pretty tough to start out there, so to hit 160 was nice.”

England, leading Group Two, have secured a semi-finals spot with four points from two matches.

New Zealand, who had one point from their washed-out match against Pakistan, now have three points after their win over Sri Lanka.