SL vs NZ 1st ODI 2026 Rangiora Recap Rachin Ravindra

The first ODI of the 2026 SL vs NZ tour at Rangiora's Mainpower Oval delivered exactly the kind of opening Sri Lanka had feared. Rachin Ravindra's 109 from 102 deliveries set up a New Zealand total of 327 for 6, and the Sri Lankan reply never threatened despite Charith Asalanka's 78. New Zealand take the series lead 1-0 with two to play. Here is the recap with the phase-by-phase data.

Match summary

Team	Score	Overs	Run rate	Top scorer
New Zealand	327/6	50	6.54	Rachin Ravindra 109
Sri Lanka	271 all out	47.3	5.70	Charith Asalanka 78
Result	NZ won by 56	—	—	—

The Rachin innings

Rachin walked in at 8 for 1 in the second over after Will Young had been trapped lbw by Asitha Fernando. The recovery began slowly — just 18 runs in the first 25 deliveries — before opening up against the change-up bowlers. The 50 came off 53 deliveries, and the 100 off 96. From the 96th delivery onwards, Rachin was simply finishing the innings: a six over wide long-on off Wanindu Hasaranga, a flicked four off Lahiru Kumara, and a swept four off Maheesh Theekshana.

Power-play numbers

New Zealand finished the power play at 58 for 2. Rachin's aggression in the middle overs lifted that platform, with the 11-30 over phase producing 122 runs at a strike rate of around 95. The middle-overs partnership with Daryl Mitchell — 109 in 17 overs — was the foundation of the eventual 327.

Death overs

The death-overs flurry came from Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. After Rachin's dismissal in the 41st over, Mitchell pushed the strike rate up with two sixes off Theekshana, and Phillips finished with a 23-ball cameo of 41 that included three fours and two sixes. New Zealand added 67 runs in the last 5 overs.

Sri Lanka's reply

The chase began competitively. Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne put on 49 for the first wicket, but Karunaratne was castled by a Tim Southee in-ducker in the 9th over. Nissanka pushed on to 41 before holing out to deep midwicket. Asalanka's 78 was the only innings that threatened to take the chase deep, but the required rate climbed to over 8 by the 35th over and the late-order batting could not match it.

The Mitchell Santner spell

Santner's 2 for 41 in 10 overs was the bowling card that closed out the match. He removed Asalanka in the 38th over with a slider that took the inside edge onto the stumps, and bowled Wanindu Hasaranga two overs later with a left-arm spinner's arm-ball that pitched on a length and held its line. For the wider series context, our Mitchell Santner spell breakdown from the third ODI is the companion read.

What this means for the series

New Zealand take a 1-0 lead and the momentum into the second ODI at Mt Maunganui. Sri Lanka will need to address two problems: the new-ball loss in the power play, and the middle-overs strike rotation that left them needing 8-plus an over too early. For the next match recap, our SL vs NZ 2nd ODI Mt Maunganui recap covers the second-match phase data.

Player of the match

Rachin Ravindra was the obvious choice. The 109 from 102 deliveries gave New Zealand the platform they needed, and his sixth ODI hundred in 18 months confirms the trajectory of a top-order batter who looks set for a long international career. The strike rate of 107 across the innings was higher than his ODI average and points to a more aggressive intent against Sri Lankan spin in particular.

Forward look

The series swings to Mt Maunganui in three days. Sri Lanka have a clear gap to close on the new-ball and middle-overs phases. New Zealand have the rare luxury of a settled top order with a young anchor in Rachin and a proven finisher in Glenn Phillips. The 2-0 sweep is now the more likely outcome than a 1-1 turn-around.