{"id":547,"date":"2026-02-24T17:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startersites.io\/blocksy\/daily-news\/?p=547"},"modified":"2026-05-15T23:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:32:42","slug":"sri-lanka-vs-new-zealand-t20-world-cup-2026-super-8-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/sri-lanka-vs-new-zealand-t20-world-cup-2026-super-8-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka vs New Zealand \u2013 T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage resumes with&nbsp;<strong>Sri Lanka hosting New Zealand<\/strong>&nbsp;on Wednesday, 25 February. The match is set for a 7:00 PM IST start at Colombo\u2019s R. Premadasa Stadium. Sri Lanka (Group 2) and New Zealand (Group 2) are both unbeaten in the group stage and will fight for a crucial two points in a tightly-contested group (the other sides are England and Pakistan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/sri-lanka-vs-new-zealand-result\/\" title=\"\"><strong>&#8220;Read the full Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Super 8 result and scorecard here for complete Group 2 standings.&#8221;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sri Lanka v New Zealand | Feel The Thrill Preview | Men&#039;s T20 World Cup 2026\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h05YCiuIqHU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-aioseo-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#sri-lanka-vs-new-zealand-match-details\">Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Match Details<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#form-guide-context\">Form Guide &amp; Context<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#pitch-and-weather-conditions\">Pitch and Weather Conditions<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#team-news-probable-xis\">Team News &amp; Probable XIs<\/a><ul><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#sri-lanka\">Sri Lanka<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#new-zealand\">New Zealand<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#match-prediction\">Match Prediction<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#icc-t20-world-cup-2026-schedule-team-rankings-and-match-highlights\">ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, Team Rankings and Match Highlights<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026--1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026--1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026--300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026--768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026--18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/iplruns.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Sri-Lanka-vs-New-Zealand-25th-February-ICC-T20-World-Cup-2026-.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sri-lanka-vs-new-zealand-match-details\"><strong>Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Match Details<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>Match<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Sri Lanka vs New Zealand \u2013 Super 8, Group 2 (ICC T20 World Cup 2026)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Date &amp; Time (IST)<\/strong><\/td><td>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 \u2013 7:00 PM<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Venue<\/strong><\/td><td>R. Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Broadcast (India)<\/strong><\/td><td>Star Sports Network (TV), JioTV\/JioHotstar (live streaming)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/england-vs-pakistan-super-8-match-preview-t20-world-cup-2026\/\" title=\"\">Read our full England vs Pakistan Super 8 match preview here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"form-guide-context\"><strong>Form Guide &amp; Context<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sri Lanka<\/strong>&nbsp;enter this game under pressure. They topped Super 8 Group 2 by winning&nbsp;<strong>3 of 4<\/strong>&nbsp;group-stage games (including a victory over England) but were&nbsp;<em>thrashed<\/em>&nbsp;by England by 51 runs in their Super 8 opener. Batting largely against quality spin bowling, the hosts were bowled out cheaply, denting their net run rate. Captain Dasun Shanaka\u2019s side must rebound quickly to stay in semi-final contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>New Zealand<\/strong>&nbsp;had a strong group stage (also 3 of 4 wins) but gained only one point so far in the Super 8s: their match vs Pakistan on Feb 21 was washed out by rain. So New Zealand will be eager to make up for that lost opportunity. Veteran all-rounders and spinners make them dangerous, especially on a pitch likely to assist turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Head-to-Head:<\/strong>&nbsp;In T20Is, New Zealand have dominated Sri Lanka \u2013 out of 28 matches NZ lead 16-9. Notably, in their last meeting (Jan 2, 2025) Sri Lanka chased down 212 to win by 3 wickets, but in three of the last five T20s NZ emerged victorious. Overall the rivalry slightly favours the Kiwis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pitch-and-weather-conditions\"><strong>Pitch and Weather Conditions<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The R. Premadasa Stadium pitch is a&nbsp;<strong>typical Sri Lankan surface<\/strong>: relatively flat and high-scoring at first, but it&nbsp;<em>slows and starts gripping<\/em>&nbsp;as the game wears on. The black-soil wicket offers consistent bounce early, but by the middle overs it becomes slower with more turn \u2013 a spinner\u2019s paradise under lights. New Zealand (to bat first) won 4 of 5 games batting first here in this tournament, but toss-winning captains have preferred chasing. Dew and humidity can be factors late evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Local weather forecasts are cautiously optimistic. February in Colombo has moved past the mid-month monsoon peak \u2013 daily rain-chance is around 20\u201325% at this time. Late-evening dew could play a role, but showers seem unlikely to interrupt (the Super 8 so far had only one washout, a short rain on Feb 21). Expect a warm (\u223c30\u00b0C) and humid evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"team-news-probable-xis\"><strong>Team News &amp; Probable XIs<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sri-lanka\">Sri Lanka<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Injuries\/Changes:<\/strong>&nbsp;This is a&nbsp;<em>transitional<\/em>&nbsp;Sri Lankan side. Key injuries have struck: star leg-spinner&nbsp;<strong>Wanindu Hasaranga<\/strong>&nbsp;suffered a serious hamstring tear against Ireland and has been ruled out of the tournament. <br>All-rounder&nbsp;<strong>Dushan (Deshan) Hemantha<\/strong>&nbsp;has been approved as his replacement. Also, fast bowler&nbsp;<strong>Matheesha Pathirana<\/strong>&nbsp;(who left the field against Australia with a muscle strain) is out, with left-arm pacer&nbsp;<strong>Dilshan Madushanka<\/strong>&nbsp;added to the squad in his place. Thus the revised squad (and likely XI) includes several new faces.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Probable XI:<\/strong>&nbsp;The expected lineup is:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pathum Nissanka<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kusal Mendis (wk)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kamindu Mendis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charith Asalanka<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dasun Shanaka (c)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dunith Wellalage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dushan Hemantha<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maheesh Theekshana<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dushmantha Chameera<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dilshan Madushanka<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Matheesha Pathirana \/ another pacer<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Players to Watch:<\/strong>&nbsp;Opener&nbsp;<strong>Pathum Nissanka<\/strong>&nbsp;has been in excellent form (about&nbsp;<em>288 runs<\/em>&nbsp;in 9 Super 8 games) and looks in prime touch. <br>Wicketkeeper&nbsp;<strong>Kusal Mendis<\/strong>&nbsp;(311 runs)&nbsp;remains Sri Lanka\u2019s top scorer. <br>Among bowlers,&nbsp;<strong>Dushmantha Chameera<\/strong>&nbsp;is chief threat with&nbsp;<em>11 wickets<\/em>&nbsp;in just 5 games (he\u2019s averaging ~9.2 balls per wicket). <br>Maheesh Theekshana (9 wickets)&nbsp;will also be crucial in the spin-friendly conditions.<br>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pathum Nissanka \u2013 consistent top-order scorer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kusal Mendis \u2013 aggressive wicketkeeper batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maheesh Theekshana \u2013 dangerous on turning tracks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"new-zealand\">New Zealand<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Injuries\/Changes:<\/strong>&nbsp;NZ have had a smoother path through the tourney, but they too lost an all-rounder:&nbsp;<strong>Michael Bracewell<\/strong>&nbsp;strained a calf in warm-ups and is out. Cole McConchie has been named his traveling replacement. (Also Adam Milne missed the USA game earlier, though he\u2019s an older pacer not in main 13.) Despite these, NZ have kept their core players fit, and plan a balanced attack.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Probable XI:<\/strong>&nbsp;Expected New Zealand XI:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finn Allen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tim Seifert (wk)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rachin Ravindra<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Glenn Phillips<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mark Chapman<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Daryl Mitchell<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mitchell Santner (c)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>James Neesham<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Matt Henry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lockie Ferguson<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ish Sodhi<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Players to Watch:<\/strong>&nbsp;NZ captain&nbsp;<strong>Mitchell Santner<\/strong>&nbsp;(left-arm spin) may quietly become key, especially given the slow surface. <br>Offensively,&nbsp;<strong>Glenn Phillips<\/strong>&nbsp;has been a beast \u2013 295 runs in 10 Super 8 games at a strike-rate ~165. Wicketkeeper-batter&nbsp;<strong>Tim Seifert<\/strong>&nbsp;also averages ~39 and strikes at 166. <br>Among bowlers,&nbsp;<strong>Jacob Duffy<\/strong>&nbsp;has taken 9 wickets (9.7 balls per wicket)&nbsp;and can be dangerous with the new ball, while&nbsp;<strong>Matt Henry<\/strong>&nbsp;(7 wickets) offers steady pace support.<br>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Glenn Phillips \u2013 explosive middle-order hitter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mitchell Santner \u2013 crucial all-round impact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finn Allen \u2013 powerplay game changer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"match-prediction\"><strong>Match Prediction<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>This promises to be a tight contest.&nbsp;<br><strong>New Zealand<\/strong>&nbsp;arrived with momentum and a flexible batting order, and historically have the edge in T20s. Playing away from home in Colombo, they\u2019ll target exploiting any weaknesses in SL\u2019s depleted attack.&nbsp;<br><strong>Sri Lanka<\/strong>, however, will feed off home support and the familiarity of spin-friendly R. Premadasa conditions. Winning the toss could be significant; given the late dewy conditions, teams might prefer chasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, England\u2019s big win over Sri Lanka showed that the hosts are vulnerable on this surface. New Zealand\u2019s batting depth (Phillips, Seifert, Neesham) may give them a slight edge.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Prediction:<\/strong>&nbsp;A very close game, but NZ might hold a slight advantage, especially if rain doesn\u2019t intervene (historically, chasing first wins here). We\u2019ll say&nbsp;<em>New Zealand by a small margin<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 but expect a contest that could go to the wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"icc-t20-world-cup-2026-schedule-team-rankings-and-match-highlights\"><strong>ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, Team Rankings and Match Highlights<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>ICC T20 World Cup 2026<\/th><th>ICC T20 World Cup 2026 URLs<\/th><th>ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ICC T20 World Cup Schedule<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icc-cricket.com\/tournaments\/mens-t20-world-cup-2026\/matches\">https:\/\/www.icc-cricket.com\/tournaments\/mens-t20-world-cup-2026\/matches<\/a><\/td><td>Match Details of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ICC T20 World Cup Team Standings<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icc-cricket.com\/tournaments\/mens-t20-world-cup-2026\/standings\">https:\/\/www.espn.com\/cricket\/series\/8604\/game\/1512745\/india-vs-pakistan-27th-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2025-26<\/a><\/td><td>Team Rankings of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ICC T20 World Cup Match highlights<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icc-cricket.com\/tournaments\/mens-t20-world-cup-2026\/videos\">https:\/\/www.icc-cricket.com\/tournaments\/mens-t20-world-cup-2026\/videos<\/a><\/td><td>Match Highlights of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage resumes with&nbsp;Sri Lanka hosting New Zealand&nbsp;on Wednesday, 25 February. The match is set for a 7:00 PM IST start at Colombo\u2019s R. Premadasa Stadium. Sri Lanka (Group 2) and New Zealand (Group 2) are both unbeaten in the group stage and will fight for a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[26,28],"class_list":["post-547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-t20-world-cup-2026","tag-breaking","tag-video"],"blocksy_meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1360,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions\/1360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}