Watch: Rachin Ravindra starts with 2 wickets in 2 balls in NZ vs SL Super 8 T20 World Cup 2026

In the crucial Group 2 Super Eights encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra shone with the ball after playing a crucial knock with the bat.  

R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo hosted the crucial match, as it was the must-win fixture for both teams, especially for the hosts Sri Lanka, who couldn't afford another defeat. 

After Sri Lanka sent New Zealand to bat first, the Blackcaps were once struggling at 84/6, from where captain Mitchell Santner (47 off 26 balls) and Cole McConchie (31 not out off 23 balls) rescued the team with a magnificent 82-run partnership for the seventh wicket, as they finally scored 168/7 in 20 overs. 

Chasing down the challenging total, Sri Lanka were losing wickets at regular intervals from the very first ball of the innings.

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Rachin Ravindra got two wickets in his first over

Rachin Ravindra, who was New Zealand's second-highest scorer in the innings (32 off 22 balls), came to bowl in the ninth over, when Sri Lanka were struggling at 27/2. On his first delivery of the match, Rachin dismissed struggling Kusal Mendis (11 off 22 balls), who was stumped out. 

After delivering a wide on his next delivery, where the Lankans also added a single apart from the extra run, Rachin took another wicket, as Pavan Rathnayake's (10 off 18 balls) stumping dismissal wasn't needed for the third umpire review. Rachin conceded nine runs in that over, while finishing with two wickets. 

Later, Rachin picked up two more wickets, as the Player of the Match had the bowling figures of 4-0-27-4, which were his best T20I bowling figures. He later dismissed captain Dasun Shanaka (3) and Dushan Hemantha (3).