Sri Lanka lost their opening clash of the Super 8 stage in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against England at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, while New Zealand were unfortunate to stay indoors due to the persistent rain against Pakistan, as both teams put their best foot forward for their second and vital fixture of the Super 8 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Sri Lanka’s obvious issue was going to the opening partnership of the Kiwi side, of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert. The former started brutally and smashed two boundaries in the second over before getting a life when Maheesh Theekshana dropped him with a hard catch. But the off-spinner later came back to find the wicket of Allen.

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It was the very first ball of the evening from Theekshana, who took a fine return catch and threw the ball towards the umpire, and hit the turf, which seemed to be a slight bit of disappointment from the dropped catch in the last over. It was a carrom ball on the stumps, and Allen went deep inside the crease to stay leg-side of the ball and ended up chipping it back to the spinner.

Maheesh Theekshana dismisses Finn Allen in T20 WC 2026

It was the second time Allen was dismissed in T20Is against Theekshana, who has the upper hand with two wickets in as many innings in four balls by conceding only one run. Theekshana later came back to dismiss the vital wicket of Rachin Ravindra, who smashed 32 runs in 22 balls with the help of three fours and one six.

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𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝, & 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃! 🧤

Maheesh Theekshana holds on & sends the dangerous Finn Allen back!

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Two balls later, he went past the defense of Mark Chapman for a two-ball duck. The southpaw had no clue as the ball landed in line with the stumps and turned enough to bite the deck and hammer the top of the off-stump.

In the very next over, Dunith Wellalage’s left-arm spin with the arm got the better of Daryl Mitchell as they got the Kiwis side 86/6 in 13 overs. The only way for the Blackcaps to get out of the situation was for their captain, Mitchell Santner, to play a sensational knock.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 88/6 (Rachin Ravindra 32, Maheesh Theekshana 3/9) vs Sri Lanka. 

NZ vs SL Match Preview

New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in the third ODI of the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand, which will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on January 11, 2025, at 6:30 AM IST. Sri Lanka is on tour in New Zealand, where they will play three T20Is and three one-day internationals. New Zealand won the T20I series of 2-1, and they now lead the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka with one match remaining. Sri Lanka lost both ODIs against New Zealand by large margins. It's difficult to defeat New Zealand in New Zealand.

NZ vs SL Match Details

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 3rd Match, ODI Match

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

Date & Time: 11th January 2025 at 06:30 AM IST 

Live Streaming: FanCode

NZ vs SL Venue Stats

NZ vs SL Pitch Report

Bowling conditions were ideal in the first innings. Both teams' seamers should be able to take advantage of bowling conditions that favour seam movement off the surface.

NZ vs SL Weather Report

There is a 10% chance of rain on matchday. You can expect some cloud cover from above. Auckland's temperatures will be warm and humid.

NZ vs SL Last Five Matches

NZ vs SL Head-to-Head Stats

Injury News

No Injury. Will be added when there is an update.

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NZ vs SL Probable Playing XIs:

Sri Lanka Probable Playing XIs

Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando

New Zealand Probable Playing XIs

Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, William ORourke

Topmost Picks for NZ vs SL Dream11 Prediction:

Top Picks – New Zealand

• Rachin Ravindra –  Rachin Ravindra went on to make 79 off 63 balls helping NZ seal 2nd ODI and making it 2-0 in favour of NZ.
• Matt Henry – Matt Henry took 4 wickets for just 19 runs, and will be one of the most potent seam bowlers in the world with conditions like these.

Top Picks – Sri Lanka

• Kamindu Mendis – Kamindu Mendis scored valuable 64 runs to arrest the slide but Sri Lanka eventually lost by 113 runs.
• Mahesh Theekshana – Mahesh Theekshana did pull things back with some lower order wickets. He ended up getting 4 wickets for 44 runs in 8 overs.

Suggested Playing XI N0.1 for NZ vs SL Dream11 Team:

Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Will Young(VC), Rachin Ravindra, Wanindu Hasaranga(C), Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando

Suggested Playing XI N0.2 for NZ vs SL Dream11 Team:

Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra(C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Mitchell Santner(VC), Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando

Captain and Vice-Captain Options:

Captain – Rachin Ravindra, Wanindu Hasaranga

Vice-captain – Will Young, Mitchell Santner

Wicketkeeper – Kusal Mendis

NZ vs SL Probable Winners:

New Zealand leads the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka at home. They rarely lose ODIs at home. They have only lost one in the past five years. Their head-to-head history against Sri Lanka is impressive. With their history and current form, we believe New Zealand has a lead over Sri Lanka in this third ODI, which they will win to sweep the opponents at home. Considering the team combination, New Zealand is expected to win this match.