Cricket Kitchen

Sri Lanka eliminated from the ICC T20 World Cup

February 26, 2026

Co-host Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the ICC T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka exited the tournament one match ahead after suffering a defeat against New Zealand in the Super Eight game last night.

In Colombo, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 61 runs. Chasing New Zealand’s target of 169 runs, Sri Lanka could only manage 107 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs.

For Sri Lanka, Kamindu Mendis scored the highest 31 runs. Dunith Wellalage made 29, Kusal Mendis 11, and Pawan Rathnayake 10 runs.

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra took 4 wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs. Matt Henry claimed 2 wickets for just 3 runs in 2 overs, including 1 maiden.

Earlier, after losing the toss and batting first, New Zealand scored 168 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Captain Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie shared an 84-run partnership. Santner scored 47 runs off 26 balls.

Rachin Ravindra made 32, while Finn Allen scored 28 runs. Glenn Phillips added 18 runs. For Sri Lanka, Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera took 3 wickets each, while Dunith Wellalage claimed 1 wicket. Earlier, Sri Lanka had been defeated by England. After consecutive two defeats, Sri Lanka in Group 2 remains point-less.

Since winning the T20 World Cup in 2014, Sri Lanka has not been able to reach the semifinal so far. New Zealand, securing its first win, is in second place in Group 2 with 3 points. New Zealand’s chances of reaching the semifinal remain intact. England, having won both matches and collected 4 points, is in first place and has already reached the semifinal.

Now, New Zealand will play its final match against England tomorrow. If New Zealand wins tomorrow’s match, it will reach the semifinal.

Under the World Cup, today at 3:15 PM, a match between West Indies and South Africa will take place. This match will be held in Ahmedabad, India.

Similarly, today’s second match will be between India and Zimbabwe at 7:15 PM in Chennai, India.