Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning team returned home on Monday, although for many of the players Colombo was not the final destination. While most boarded flights to BIA, a few headed off to Melbourne and London, while others decided to extend their stay in the Land of the Malays for a short holiday.

It was a trip soaked in nostalgia as the players rolled back the years and transported fans to that magical March night three decades ago when they pulled off one of the greatest upsets the game has ever seen.

The Malaysians turned on the charm with warm hospitality throughout the celebrations. In a country where badminton and football are followed almost like religions, cricket too got its little window in the spotlight. Malaysia’s national team is currently coached by none other than Dav Whatmore, one of the the architects behind Sri Lanka’s fairy-tale triumph in 1996.

Whatmore and team physiotherapist Alex Kontouris, the two support staff members from that historic campaign, were present for the reunion. Watching a 72-year-old Whatmore fielding at mid-off just to make up the numbers during the exhibition game was one of the enduring images of the weekend.

Whatmore also proved a major attraction during coaching sessions conducted for Malaysian youngsters alongside the Sri Lankan players. He shared finer technical points of the game with the kids while, with the older players, he spoke passionately about the mental side of cricket. Listening to him was a masterclass in itself.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly Aravinda de Silva.

He may not have held a bat seriously for years, but once he walked in at his customary number four position during the exhibition match, time seemed to stand still. Suddenly, memories came flooding back and there was fresh proof that genius never fades.

One cover drive pierced the gap to the left of extra cover and the very next ball sped through the right side of the same fielder, leaving the poor man wondering where exactly he ought to stand. There were trademark cuts and pulls aplenty, but the shot everyone kept talking about was the reverse sweep.

Aravinda never played the reverse sweep during his international career. Yet, with the stroke now a staple of modern T20 cricket, he unfurled one neatly to the boundary as if he had been playing it all his life. It was vintage class mixed with modern innovation, further proof that truly gifted players can adapt to any era.

Everyone present, from Roshan Mahanama to Asanka Gurusinha, went home convinced once again that Aravinda was a once in a generation cricketer. Arjuna Ranatunga perhaps summed it up best when he remarked that a player of Aravinda’s calibre comes along only once in 50 years.

The reunion itself was a wonderful opportunity for the champions to relive the glory days. Sri Lankan fans living in Malaysia turned up in large numbers to catch a glimpse of their heroes, while the locals too embraced the occasion wholeheartedly.

The felicitation ceremony at the historic Royal Selangor Club was packed to capacity with guests eager to rub shoulders with some of the finest cricketers the game has produced.

The organisers smartly ensured that the players were spread across different tables, mingling freely with supporters, creating unforgettable moments for fans who grew up idolising them.

David Cruse, a Sri Lankan-born entrepreneur and cricket enthusiast based in Melbourne, played a pivotal role in putting the event together. He received excellent support from Devindran Ramanadan and Alex de Silva in Kuala Lumpur, who handled much of the logistics. Back in Colombo, Aravinda and Mahanama did much of the heavy lifting alongside Gurusinha, now settled in Melbourne.

Rex Clementine
in Kuala Lumpur

Delhi Capitals (DC) kept their slim hopes of making the playoffs alive by beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 194, they were led by half-centuries from Abhishek Porel and KL Rahul. While they slowed down in the middle overs, Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma took them home with four balls to spare.

Earlier, after DC opted to bowl, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 21-ball 46 and Riyan Parag’s 26-ball 51 took RR to 160 for 2 in 14 overs. They must have eyed at least 220 at that stage, but Mitchell Starc’s  three wickets in the 15th over derailed them. As a result, they could score only 33 in the last six overs and finished on 193 for 8. For DC, Starc picked up 4 for 40, Lungi Ngidi 2 for 24 and Madhav Tiwari 2 for 27.

Yashasvi Jaiswal got RR going by hitting Starc for three fours in the opening over. From the other end, Sooryavanshi opened his account with a first-ball six off Ngidi. Ngidi did bounce back by having Jaiswal caught at short third with a slower ball, but there was no stopping Sooryavanshi. Living dangerously, he hit debutant offspinner T Vijay for three fours and a six in the fifth over. Dhruv Jurel joined the festivities by hitting Mukesh Kumar for 4, 6, 4 off successive balls in the sixth over as RR ended the powerplay on 75 for 1.

Sooryavanshi was eventually caught at long-on off Tiwari but Parag ensured the momentum wasn’t lost. After hitting Axar for two sixes in three balls, he went 6, 4, 6, 6 against Mukesh in a 23-run 12th over, after which RR were 140 for 2. Soon after, Parag reached his ninth IPL fifty. Coming off just 23 balls, it was his fastest.

In search of wickets, Axar returned to Starc for the 15th over, and the seamer didn’t disappoint his captain. With a slower ball, he had Parag caught at long-on. Donovan Ferreira lasted just one ball, also getting caught at long-on. Ravi Singh flicked the hat-trick ball, a full toss for four, but Starc had him lbw off the next ball. It was once again a slower ball. Ravi was way too early into the shot, and even the DRS couldn’t save him.

When Tiwari dismissed Shubham Dubey in the 17th over, RR decided to bring in Dasun Shanaka as their Impact Player. Starc removed him as well with the penultimate ball of his spell. It was a low full toss from around the wicket. Shanaka tried to go big but was caught at long-off. Despite Jurel scoring 53 off 40, RR fell seven short of 200.

Jofra Archer could have had another first-over wicket when Rahul, yet to open his account, flicked him to short fine leg. But Yash Raj Punja dropped an easy catch. After that, Rahul and Porel picked up regular boundaries, with Porel leading the way. The pair took the side to 72 for no loss after six overs. This was DC’s best powerplay of the season, bettering their 70 for no loss in the reverse fixture.

DC were 85 for no loss after seven overs. The next seven overs, though, brought only 45 runs. Punja triggered the slowdown with a four-run over. It was also the first boundary-less over of the innings.

Porel brought up his fifty off 29 balls but fell soon after. Trying to take on Brijesh Sharma, he was caught at long-on. Rahul had the same fate. He chopped Shanaka onto his stumps for 56 off 42 balls. Punja conceded only 29 from his four but Axar kept DC in the hunt with a boundary here and there. After 14 overs, they were 130 for 2, needing 64 from the remaining six.

Archer pegged DC back in the 17th over, conceding only eight and dismissing Tristan Stubbs. It left them needing 35 from three overs. With two left-hand batters – Axar and David Miller – in the middle, Parag went with Ferreira’s offspin over Shanaka’s military medium. The move backfired as Axar and Miller hit a six each in a 16-run over. Brijesh gave RR some hope by removing Miller with the first ball of the 19th but Ashutosh heaved the second ball he faced over deep midwicket for a six. With seven needed from the final over, Ashutosh hit a four and a six to finish the game.

Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 197 for 5 in 19.2 overs (Abhishek Porel 51, KL Rahul 56,  Axar Patel 34*, Ashutosh Sharma 18*; Jofra Archer 2-35, Brijesh Sharma 2-44, Dasun Shanaka 1-29) beat Rajasthan Royals 193 for 8 in 20 overs  (Yashasvi Jaiswal 12,  Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 46, Dhruv Jurel 53, Riyan Parag 51,  Dasun Shanaka 10; Mitchell Starc 4-40, Lungi Ngidi 2-24, Madhav Tiwari 2-27) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

For the longest time, Punjab Kings seemed to be a lock in for the playoffs, possibly even a top-two spot. Then they slipped, and stumbled and continued to slide to reach a position where their playoffs spot is in serious doubt. On Sunday, PBKS lost their sixth game in a row, going down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 23 runs in another run-fest in Dharamsala. The result helped RCB become the first team to make the IPL 2026 playoffs, but also left PBKS in a precarious position with just one game remaining. The curse of the second half, if there ever was.

It was a game RCB dominated pretty much from top to bottom. RCB muscled their way to 222 for 4 on the back of a rollicking half-century from their No. 4. No, not Rajat Patidar. He missed the game and Venkatesh Iyer, who has largely been an Impact Player this season, got a promotion. Batting in the top order for the first time in IPL 2026, Venkatesh showed his class, smashing an unbeaten 73 off 40, while Virat Kohli (57 off 37) and Devdutt Padikkal (45 off 25) also played their part in RCB’s tall score.

PBKS’ chase got off to the worst possible start with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam reducing them to 19 for 3 inside four overs. Suryansh Shedge and Marcus Stoinis counterattacked but the required rate continued to surge. Shashank Singh smashed 56 off 27 balls but his innings came too late in the game. With PBKS needing 40 off the last two overs, 19th and Rasikh picked up two wickets in the 20th as PBKS were kept to 199 for 8.

Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar struck with his second ball, but that was the only wicket PBKS managed in a powerplay dominated by RCB. Jacob Bethell’s patchy form with the bat continued as he inside-edged Brar and lost his off bail. But Devdutt Padikkal was at his aggressive best. He lifted Brar first ball over the long-off fence for six before nudging Lockie Ferguson through fine leg.

Kohli, at the other end, was fluent as well. He hit Azmatullah Omarzai for six over extra cover, albeit not off the middle of the bat, before welcoming Ferguson into the bowling crease with a trademark flick of the wrists over deep midwicket. Arshdeep was also scythed over square leg with RCB ending the powerplay on 61 for 1.

Kohli reached 500 runs in an IPL season for a record ninth time and soon notched up another half-century, his fourth of IPL 2026, along with a century. It wasn’t the most fluent Kohli innings but he still struck at 156.75, with four fours and three sixes adding 76 off 42 balls for the second wicket with Padikkal, who was in sublime form again. He hit Yuzvendra Chahal for two sixes in the seventh over and then attacked Omarzai before falling to Brar. Kohli brought out his trademark flick if the wrists to send Shashank over cow corner but fell soon after reaching fifty flicking Chahal to deep midwicket.

Venkatesh has had limited chances this season. Twice he has come in as an Impact Player and in the one game he was in the starting XI, he didn’t bat. He looked out of sorts initially, was on 9 off 10 but one misfield from Arshdeep Singh at mid-off and his innings took flight. He hit Brar for back-to-back fours and then took Chahal for two sixes.

With RCB on 157 for 3, Venkatesh hit top gear. He scooped Omarzai twice in two balls, and then took on Ferguson for 6, 4, 0, 6 to reach his fifty off just 29 balls. This was Venkatesh’s first fifty for RCB and helped RCB go past the 200 mark – the ninth time that PBKS conceded a 200-plus total this season. Tim David didn’t hang back in the death, finishing on 28 off 12 as RCB put up an above-par score.

To chase down RCB’s 222, a Prabharya special was required. But the duo lasted a combined eight balls. To make matters worse, Shreyas Iyer fell for just 1 with PBKS’ chase falling apart even before properly beginning. Bhuvneshwar sent back Priyansh Arya with a hard length ball that was swiped to mid-on in the first over. He then had Prabhsimran Singh toe-edging to first slip before a lovely Rasikh outswinger accounted for Shreyas Iyer. At 19 for 3 in 3.2 overs, PBKS, to put it mildly, were in a hole.

Cooper Connolly and Shedge counterattacked and succeeded to an extent. Josh Hazlewood was taken for 26 off his first two overs, while Rasikh went for 11 off his second but PBKS only managed 49 for 3 in their powerplay with the required rate ballooning to 12.42.

Shashank and Omarzai delayed the inevitable but both fell in the last over as PBKS failed to even reach 200. Ricky Ponting’s forlorn look sitting alone in the dugout after the game had a story to tell. PBKS were on 13 points after seven games. Thirteen games into the season, they are still on 13.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 222 for 4 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 11, Virat Kohli 58, Devudutt  Padikkal 45, Venkatesh Iyer 73*,  Tim David 28; Arshdeep Singh 1-43, Harpreet  Brar 2-35, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-42) beat Punjab Kings 199 for 8 in 20 overs  (Cooper Connolly 37, Suryansh Shedge 35, Marcus Stoinis 37, Shashank Singh 56,  Azmatullah Omarzai 14; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-38, Josh Hazelwood 1-36,   Rasikh Salam 3-36, Suyash Sharma 1-50, Romario Shepherd 1-08) by 23 runs

[Cricinfo]