OUT!!! Matt Henry strikes again and this time, Charith Asalanka becomes his prey and departs for five. In search of a big hit, Asalanka ends up mistiming a shot, which goes straight into the hands of Daryl Mitchell at the mid-wicket. Second wicket gone for Sri Lanka. 

SL 6/2 (2.1 overs)

A brilliant start for New Zealand as Matt Henry delivers a wicket-maiden first over. He dismissed Pathum Nissanka on the first delivery and then kept Charith Asalanka in check. Asalanka and Kusal Mendis now need to get some boundaries in the upcoming overs. 

SL 0/1 (1 over)

OUT!!! What just happened here? Matt Henry delivered a terrific ball, providing New Zealand with the wicket of Pathum Nissanka for duck. The ball completely beat Nissanka and then rattled the stumps. A big trouble for Sri Lanka in the chase of 169. 

SL 0/1 (0.1 over)

Hello and welcome to Sri Lanka's chase of 169 against New Zealand. For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have started the proceedings in the run chase. For New Zealand, Matt Henry will be bowling the first over for the Blackcaps. 

New Zealand have ended their innings at 168/7 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match in Colombo. For New Zealand, skipper Mitchell Santner was the star batter with his powerful 26-ball-47-run knock. Apart from him, Cole McConchie also scored 31* off 23 balls. For Sri Lanka, Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera took three wickets each. 

Mitchell Santner continues to fire and this time, Dilshan Madushanka faces the heat. Santner scores 19 runs, which includes a massive six and a boundary from Cole McConchie. With this, New Zealand have also crossed the 150-run mark with an over still left. 

NZ 156/6 (19 overs)

New Zealand has truly changed the momentum of the game as Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie form a terrific partnership. In the previous over of Maheesh Theekshana, Santner hit a boundary and two sixes as the spinner leaked 21 runs. A big boost for New Zealand. 

NZ 137/6 (18 overs)

WOAH!! This can be the game-changing over for New Zealand as Cole McConchie unleashes his fury on Dushmantha Chameera. In the previous over, McConchie hammered two sixes and a boundary as Chameera leaked 18 runs. Just amazing! 

NZ 116/6 (17 overs)

Sri Lanka bowlers have successfully managed to keep New Zealand under pressure. In the previous over of Charith Asalanka, Cole McConchie hit a boundary. This was the first boundary in 33 balls. New Zealand more of such shots in order to get a good total. 

NZ 97/6 (15.5 overs)

With six wickets already gone, New Zealand are in deep trouble. They are on the verge of terrible collapse as Sri Lanka spinners are clearly dominating the contest. Currently, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie are forming  a partnership to guide NZ towards a good total. 

NZ 90/6 (15 overs)

OUT!!! What's happening here? New Zealand are totally succumbing against Sri Lanka's spin attack. Dunith Wellalage now traps Daryl Mitchell with his ultimate spin and give Sri Lanka their sixth wicket. Sliding in from a fuller length around off, Mitchell wanted to play it forward and left ample bat-pad gap in the process. It doesn't turn, just skids through and hits the timber. 

NZ 84/6 (12.1 overs)

OUT!!! Maheesh Theekshana, you beauty. The star spinner strikes again in the same over and this time, Mark Chapman becomes the victim and departs for duck. A beautiful spin and the bails goes off in style. Fifth wicket gone for NZ. 

NZ 84/5 (11.4 overs)

OUT!!! Maheesh Theekshana provides Sri Lanka with another wicket as he dismisses Rachin Ravindra for 32. In search of a big shot, Ravindra hammers it hard. However, the shot goes straight into the hands of Dushan Hemantha at the long-off. Rachin is visibly angry with his choice of shot. Fourth wicket gone. 

NZ 84/4 (11.2 overs)

OUT!!! Dushmantha Chameera gets his second wicket of the day and this time, he dismisses Glenn Phillips for 18. After getting dropped by Dasun Shanaka on the previous ball, Phillips gets cleaned up by Chameera on the next ball. This is a good sign for Pakistan as New Zealand's loss will benefit them in the points table. 

NZ 75/3 (9.3 overs)

Rachin Ravindra stuns the Colombo crowd with his powerful hitting. This time, Dushan Hemantha comes at the receiving end and gets hit for 98m maximum. Terrific batting from Ravindra as two-down New Zealand are slowly getting back on track. 

NZ 65/2 (8.1 overs)

FOUR!! Rachin Ravindra hits a brilliant boundary on Dushan Hemantha's delivery. A full delivery, Rachin slams the drive straight back past the non-striker. The ball then races across the boundary line for four. 

NZ 52/2 (7 overs)

The first six overs of New Zealand innings are done as Sri Lanka are very much ahead in the contest. So far, the Kiwis have lost two wickets in the form of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert. Now, the onus is on the shoulders of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips. 

NZ 44/2 (6 overs)

OUT!!! New Zealand are in trouble as Dushmantha Chameera dismisses Tim Seifert for 8. Seifert hammers it hard in search of boundary but Kamindu Mendis intervenes at the deep square leg and takes a terrific catch. Second wicket gone for New Zealand. 

NZ 34/2 (4.2 overs)

OUT!!! Maheesh Theekshana redeems himself after the blunder in the previous over as he dismisses Finn Allen for 23. Theekshana delivers a carrom ball as Allen goes back into the crease and plays a shot in search of some runs. However, the ball returns back to Theekshana, who then completes a good catch. First wicket gone for New Zealand. 

NZ 30/1 (3.1 overs)

Oh no! This is going to hurt Sri Lanka a lot. Dilshan Madushanka almost trapped Tim Seifert with his ultimate pace. The ball hit the edge and travelled to short third, where Maheesh Theekshana made a good effort but failed to complete the catch. Madushanka is visibly with the mistake. A big lifeline for New Zealand. 

NZ 25/0 (2.3 overs)

New Zealand are off to a terrific start as their openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert are fearlessly dealing in boundaries. In the previous over of Dunith Wellalage, the duo scored 15 runs, which included two boundaries from Allen and one from Seifert. 

NZ 23/0 (2 overs)

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.