SL Vs BAN 1st T20I: Kusal Mendis Helps Sri Lanka Beat Bangladesh By Seven Wickets

Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh in the opening T20I match of the three-match bilateral series held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Thursday, 10 July 2025.

Opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh to a modest total of 154 runs and chased down the target with seven wickets and six balls to spare. They have taken a 1-0 lead in the series.

Playing XIs

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das(w/c), Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara

Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan Sakib added 46 runs for the first wicket. Emon was the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh in the match with a score of 38 runs off 22 balls.

Mohammad Naim also played a crucial role in taking the tourists to a decent total. He made 32 not out off 29 balls, which helped Shamim Hossain change gears in the death overs and made a quick five-ball 14. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also made 29 runs with the help of four boundaries.

In response, Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added 78 runs for the first wicket. Perera went on to make 73 runs off 51 balls and was named Player of the Match for his match-winning knock.

Charith Asalanka hit the winning six on the last delivery of the 19th over, which helped Sri Lanka seal the match.

Now, the caravan will move to Dambulla, where Bangladesh will try to stay alive in the series with a win in the second T20I match. The hosts will try to clinch the series with one more win.