SIX!!! Finn Allen makes his intentions clear right from the beginning as he hits a massive six on Dilshan Madushanka's delivery. Allen, who has been signed by KKR in the IPL, clears the front leg and hoicks it off the strong bottom hand over mid-wicket for a 71-metre maximum. A good start for New Zealand. 

NZ 8/0 (1 overs)

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand's Super 8 match finally begins. For New Zealand, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen have started the proceedings. On the other hand, Dilshan Madushanka will be bowling the first over for Sri Lanka. 

Players of both the teams are out on the field for their respective national anthems. The T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match shall begin shortly.

"We are out here in the middle and the conditions are perfect - there’s a lovely breeze and the temperature has dropped nicely. The key factor tonight, though, is the boundary dimensions: 62 metres to the leg side for a right-hander, 75 metres to the off side, and 75 straight down the ground. It certainly looks like a traditional R. Premadasa surface - dry, with a bit of grass covering and a few bare patches - which suggests there could be some variable pace and bounce. That won’t necessarily trouble the batters if they apply themselves, but it is on the slower side. When you bowl slower here, there’s more turn on offer, so controlling pace and varying it becomes crucial," reckon Aaron Finch and Russel Arnold.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka

"Nice to be here. It’s been a few days without a proper game - obviously we were up against the rain the other night and there’s not much you can do about that - but we’ve had some good training sessions and we’re ready for this big match. The challenge will be taking on the Sri Lankan spinners. We’ve been playing in India, so the conditions aren’t unfamiliar, and it’s been pleasing to see different guys step up at different times. That’s all you can really ask for. The two at the top have done an outstanding job, and hopefully they can set the tone again. The surface looks good, so the aim is to put up a strong score. We’ve made one change - Cole McConhie comes in for Jimmy Neesham - which gives us a bit more spin in the middle order," said Mitchell Santner. 

"We’re going to bowl first. The main lesson for our batters from the game against England is to take the innings deep and show more responsibility through the middle overs. I thought our bowlers did a pretty decent job in the last match, and we expect them to deliver a similar performance tonight. There might be some assistance for the spinners, but you never really know what the surface will offer, so we felt bowling first was the right call. We’ve made one change - Kamal Mishara misses out and Charith Asalanka comes into the side, which adjusts our top order slightly," said Dasun Shanaka. 

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka wins the toss, opts to bowl against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match on Wednesday in Colombo. 

Scenario 2: If New Zealand win one of their remaining matches and lose the other, both Pakistan and New Zealand will finish on three points (provided Pakistan beat Sri Lanka). In that situation, the team with the better Net Run Rate (NRR) will advance.

Scenario 1: If Pakistan beat Sri Lanka, it will also hope England to beat New Zealand, and Sri Lanka to defeat New Zealand as well. In that case, the points table will read: Pakistan (3), Sri Lanka (2), New Zealand (1). Pakistan will then qualify for the semi-finals as the second-best team from Group 2.

Sri Lanka have a much better record against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup history. The two sides have played six World Cup games against each other. In which Sri Lanka have won three matches, while New Zealand have been able to get a win in only two. New Zealand and Sri Lanka last met each other in a T20I series in December 2024 when hosts New Zealand beat the visitors with a margin of 2-1 in a three-match series.

This will be only the 29th time New Zealand and Sri Lanka will meet each other in T20Is. Blackcaps have the upper hand in the 28 matches played between the two sides so far. New Zealand have come out victorious on 16 occasions, while Sri Lanka have been able to win only 11 games. One match between the two sides ended in no result.

As per AccuWeather, the likelihood of rain is low but not out of the picture. While it is expected to stay clear in the build-up to the match, there is a 14% chance of rain between 7 PM and 9 PM local time. However, the chances of rain is expected to significantly increase as the night wears on. The likelihood of rain jumps to 49% after 10 PM and 58% after 11 PM.

Rain has unfortunately played spoilsport in determining the fate of teams during the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Wednesday's match between co-hosts Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo is a massive one for both teams in their bid to reach the semi-finals. The focus today will be entirely on the weather of Colombo. 

New Zealand, who had to share a point with Pakistan following the wash-out at Premadasa, too have good spinners in their ranks including captain Mitchell Santner. New Zealand's opening duo of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert showed ominous form during the league stage and would be looking to extend that run.

While batting has been led by Pathum Nissanka, left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage has been impressive with the ball. To be fair, even the pacers have delivered thus far in the competition.

Sri Lanka will need to improve their batting against slower bowlers when they take on New Zealand in a must-win Super Eight game. The home team batters failed to chase a below par 147 against England on a slow turner in Pallekele.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, straight from the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Stay tuned for all the live updates.