Another Gujarat Titans (GT) match, and we are again left wondering how they will go if their top three fall early with Rashid Khan at no. 7. Once again, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and B Sai Sudharsan dominated a bowling attack, albeit the listless Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) one, to post 224 on a black-soil pitch that was slow to begin with. All three of them are now in the top four run-getters this IPL, with Sudharsan reclaiming the Orange Cap with his 48 off 23 balls.

GT failed to defend 209 in the last game, which did raise the question, but that was a par score. Here, SRH’s ordinary start with the all – arguably the worst all year – set GT the platform for a clearly above-par total. In the run chase, the GT bowlers then bashed the hard lengths to stifle the SRH batters despite a 74 for Abhishek Sharma. Prasidh Krishna bowled four overs for just 19 runs, and two wickets to bring the Purple Cap as well to GT.

GT are now second with 14 points, the same as table-toppers Mumbai Indians, but with a game in hand. SRH were left on the brink, each of their remaining games a must-win affair but still no guarantee to take them through to the playoffs.

The GT template has been to be measured for the first three overs in order to assess the conditions. However, that doesn’t mean they will look a gift horse in the mouth. Mohammed Shami, a former Titan, looked sluggish and kept missing his line. Gill got a pick-up six in the first over, and Sai Sudharsan cut and pulled five fours in the third.

On top of that, Pat Cummins dished out three half volleys in his first over to let Gill catch up with Sai Sudharsan. The result was GT’s best-ever powerplay at 82 for 0, but also another undesirable statistic for SRH. GT scored 79 of those 82 runs with shots they were in control of, the third-highest of the season; three of the top four, including the top, have come against the SRH bowlers.

Sri Lanka completed their fourth highest successful run chase in women’s ODIs and subjected South Africa to a second successive defeat in the tri-series in Colombo. A record fourth wicket stand of 128 between Kavisha Dilhari and Harshitha Samarawickrema, both of whom scored half-centuries, ensured Sri Lanka controlled proceedings against a South African side that struggled with the slowness of the pitch and problems with personnel.

Seventeen-year-old wicket-keeper Karabo Meso had to leave the field after 14 overs of the Sri Lankan innings with a heat-related illness and was replaced by Sinalo Jafta while Sune Luus who bowled eight overs and took 1 for 34, jammed her knee into the turf and suffered bruising, forcing her off the field. Ultimately neither of those things hampered South Africa as much as their inability to take wickets on a surface that Sri Lanka’s attack mastered. Debutant offspinner Dewmi Vihanga became the second Sri Lankan to take three wickets on ODI debut while Malki Madara, playing in just her second game, picked up 4 for 50.

South Africa’s total of 235, built largely on Annerine Dercksen’s first ODI half-century, looked competitive at the halfway stage but when Sri Lanka lost Chamari Athapaththu in the third over, it seemed it could be match-winning. Vishmi Gunaratne and Hasini Perera rebuilt steadily for a second-wicket stand of 69 before Dilhari and Samarawickrama kept the required run-rate in control to seal victory with 21 balls to spare.

With slower balls proving far more effective than pace on, Gunaratne and Perera were severe on South Africa’s seamers upfront, forcing spin to be introduced in the first powerplay. But both Luus and Nokululeko Mlaba were unable to maintain pressure in their initial overs as they struggled with their lengths and boundaries came in almost every over. When Mlaba strung three dots together, Gunaratne lost her patience and went for a reverse sweep. She missed and was struck in front of off stump.

Three more boundary-less overs followed before Perera tried to flick Luus legside, where Laura Wolvaardt leapt forward and took the catch low down. Replays confirmed she had her fingers under the ball and Sri Lanka were 90 for 3 after 18 overs.

Given that the middle-order has not always been reliable, there may have been some nerves, especially when Samarawickrama’s first boundary came off the outside edge. Dilhari was more confident and hit Mlaba back over her head. That proved to be a favourite area for her, and was also where she smashed Chloe Tryon for six. When Ayabonga Khaka was brought back for a second spell, both Dilhari and Samarawickrama got stuck in and in an over that cost 12 brought the required run-rate down to under five an over.

Samarawickrama got to fifty off 65 balls with a straight drive and Dilhari followed, off the 61st ball she faced, when she carved Tryon through the covers. By then, Sri Lanka needed 44 runs off 11 overs and the game was all but up. Neither of the two set batters saw it through to the end, with South Africa plucking some late wickets but in the end, they may feel there were around 30 runs short, especially after they staged a decent recovery from 120 for 5.

South Africa lost their openers early when Tazmin Brits was bowled in the fourth over, staying back to a Sugandika Kumari ball that turned past the inside edge, while Wolvaardt was deceived by a slower ball from Madara. Wolvaardt was Madara’s first ODI wicket.

That left Lara Goodall and Meso with the responsibility of stabilising the innings. Goodall was given the length to play two sumptuous cover drives and took it and South Africa ended the powerplay on 40 for 1. Inoka Ranaweera was introduced in the 11th over and created a chance off her fourth ball when Goodall, on 14, mistimed an attempted hit down the ground back to Ranaweera. She got hands to it but could not hold on.

Meso struggled to score runs and she faced 21 dot balls in her innings of 27 and the pressure got too much for her. When Ranaweera tossed one up outside off, Meso drove aerially, straight to Athapaththu at short cover. Ranaweera should have had Luus for a duck two balls later, again off her own bowling. That chance cost Sri Lanka.

Luus and Goodall put on 54 runs for the third wicket in a stand that included some delightful strokes. Goodall hit Ranaweera back over her head for four and pulled out the paddle sweep off Gunaratne but was put down again on 41 when she gave Athapaththu a regulation chance at mid-on, off Vihanga, but the Sri Lankan captain dropped it. She added five more runs to her score and was on 46 when she tried to hit Vihanga over long-on but was caught on the boundary. Goodall’s effort was her highest since her career-best 93 not out against Ireland in Dublin in June 2022, 14 innings ago.

Luus was on 31 at the time, using her feet well and playing aggressively but in the next over, she walked across her stumps and played on to give Vihanga her second. Four balls later, Athapaththu hit Dercksen on the back pad and thought she had her out lbw but the umpire did not agree. The rest of that over cost Sri Lanka nine runs and momentum shifted South Africa’s way. Tryon and Dercksen were energetic in the middle and shared a run-a-ball stand of 62 before a wonder catch from Nilakshika Silva broke their stand. Tryon tried to hit Vihanga over long-on, Nilakshika ran to her left and reached the ball just in time to take the catch one-handed as she hit the ground. South Africa entered the final 10 overs on 182 for 6.

Dercksen got to fifty with a stunning six over Kumari but she did not have much lower order support. Nadine de Klerk was bowled by a Madara yorker and Masabata Klaas and Mlaba both top-edged as they tried to hit Madara out of the ground.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Women

237 for 5 in 50 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 77, Kavisha Dilhari 61, Hasini Perera 42, Vishmi Guneratne 29; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-44) beat South Africa Women (Annerie Dercksen 61*, Lara Goodall 46, Sunee Luus 31, Chloe Tryon 35; Malki Madara 4-50, Dewmi Vihanga 3-41) by five wickets

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has pledged its support for New Zealand’s Under 85KG Rugby Team Tour of Sri Lanka in May 2025, as the Co-sponsor of the Sri Lanka Men’s team. The two-match series is the first 15-a-side clash between the two countries since 1955. Global rugby icons such as the legendary Sir Graham Henry, a World Cup-winning coach, and Scotty Stevenson, a leading New Zealand rugby commentator, are directly involved in the event, adding prestige and attracting global attention.

To mark this partnership between Commercial Bank and the tour organisers, a jersey handover and sponsor unveiling ceremony was held recently at the Race Course Grounds, Colombo, with the participation of officials of Sri Lanka Rugby and representatives of Commercial Bank’s corporate management led by Deputy General Manager – Corporate Banking Hasrath Munasinghe and Deputy General Manager – Human Resources Management Isuru Tillakawardana.

Aligning with this historic international rugby event, Commercial Bank, reinforces its role as a catalyst for youth empowerment, athletic excellence, and community pride. Furthermore, the sponsorship allows the Bank to extend its community engagement efforts, promote positive national sentiment, and contribute to positioning Sri Lanka as a vibrant and welcoming hub for global sporting events.

The tour is of significance because it is linked to an ambitious environmental initiative – the planting of 1,223 endangered trees in Sri Lanka under the Black Forest project. The Bank said this aligns closely with its sustainability goals, offering a platform to promote eco-consciousness and demonstrate how corporate entities can meaningfully support both sports and environmental preservation.

The two New Zealand – Sri Lanka matches take place on May 4 th (Kandy) and May 10 th (Colombo), and the tour also includes coaching programmes, training sessions, and environmental activities between in multiple locations including Kandy and Colombo.