Sri Lanka A edged India A in a Super Over at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Monday, the 18-9 finish almost a footnote to the shoving between Sooryavanshi and Halambage. Wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella intervened to separate the two as natural light faded on the ground. India A had pushed for a Super Over and lost it, then watched their players have to come back out of the dressing room to bowl a delivery that had already been bowled once.
The match result, the Super Over verdict, and the shoving between the two batters all sit inside a single afternoon that also produced a tied 50-over innings, a setting sun eight minutes from the boundary, and a question of whether any of it should have been played at all. An SLC official, quoted by Cricbuzz, put it plainly: “There should never have been a Super Over in the first place.” The same account reported a post-match discussion inside the Sri Lanka A dressing room about whether the team should apologise to the Indian side. The chain of small-margin calls sat with the umpires, the playing conditions, and the players on both sides.
The Super Over That Almost Wasn’t Played
India A captain Tilak Varma was strident in speaking to the umpires in favour of a Super Over after Sri Lanka A tied the regular innings at 265 with a ball to spare, the Cricbuzz account reported, and the Sri Lankan side, by the same account, did not want a tie-breaker at that point. Cricbuzz also reported that the umpires may have gone back on an understanding with the India captain by allowing play to continue after the light had deteriorated. An SLC official, quoted by Cricbuzz, put it plainly: “There should never have been a Super Over in the first place.”
The light and the cut-off time drove the dispute. The cut-off time for play was 5.30 pm, but match officials had the option of extending play until they deemed natural light was not fit for purpose. By the time the Sri Lankan batters came out to bat in the Super Over, it was already 6.17 pm and sunset in Dambulla was eight minutes away. Cricbuzz, in its account of the chaotic finish in Dambulla, reported that the umpires had indicated India’s Super Over innings would be halted if the light worsened further, which is exactly what happened.
The Super Over sat at the end of a chain of small-margin calls that had begun much earlier in the day. Here is the sequence, in order, with the load-bearing moments flagged.
The five small-margin calls that shaped the finish
- Ten penalty runs awarded to Sri Lanka A for Vipraj Nigam running on the danger area in the 34th and 37th overs, the call made by on-field umpires Prageeth Rambukwella and Shantha Fonseka after official warnings.
- Arshad Khan’s four-run 50th over when Sri Lanka A needed five to win, a passage that ended with the match-tying run-out off the last ball and Tilak Varma’s animated push for a Super Over.
- A 5.30 pm cut-off time that umpires had the option of extending until natural light was not fit for purpose, a margin Cricbuzz said was exceeded before the Super Over even began.
- The third-umpire ruling of a waist-high no-ball on Arshad Khan’s full toss to Avishka Fernando, a call Cricbuzz described as “at the very least, debatable.”
- The umpires’ apparent decision to keep India’s Super Over innings going past the point Cricbuzz said they had indicated they would halt it for light, a sequence that ended in “virtual darkness.”
How India A Got to 265
India A’s top order was blown away inside the powerplay on a surface that offered Vijayakanth Viyaskanth enough grip to finish with 3/26, and at 143/7 the innings looked headed for a total well short of 250. Suryansh Shedge then produced what the Hindustan Times live blog called “a rescue act of the highest order.” His 72 dragged India A from 143/7 to 265 all out in 49.2 overs, and with Vipraj Nigam he added 104 for the eighth wicket, the partnership that turned a modest position into a competitive one. Sooryavanshi opened, the Rajasthan Royals batter whose 15-ball fifty against Chennai Super Kings earlier in the year had been the latest in a string of record-breaking IPL innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad came in at No. 3, and Tilak Varma was among the early dismissals.
Sri Lanka A’s reply was built around Sadeera Samarawickrama’s 113-ball 93, the innings that took Sri Lanka A to 265/9 in 50 overs. Niroshan Dickwella made 37 off 33 balls and Avishka Fernando 22 off 14, but neither opener built on their start, with Vipraj Nigam removing Dickwella and Nishant Sindhu dismissing Fernando. Halambage, the player at the centre of the post-match confrontation, made 17 off 11 before falling to Ayush Badoni.
The regular innings boiled down to a final over in which Sri Lanka A needed five and India A conceded four, with Arshad Khan bowling Sadeera with a middle-stump yorker in the second ball of the over. The penultimate ball was a misfield that allowed a second run on a wide full toss.
The last ball of the innings was a run-out at the striker’s end that tied the scores at 265, and Tilak Varma immediately began arguing with the umpires for a Super Over.
Match-defining figures
| Player | Side | Figures |
|---|---|---|
| Suryansh Shedge | India A | 72; 104-run 8th-wicket stand with Vipraj Nigam from 143/7 |
| Arshad Khan | India A | Wicket of Samarawickrama (93); four runs off the 50th over when SL A needed five |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | Sri Lanka A | 93 off 113 balls |
| Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | Sri Lanka A | 3/26 |
The 10 Penalty Runs That Loaded the Chase
In a game of small margins, the 10 penalty runs India A conceded to Sri Lanka A may have been the single biggest swing. On-field umpires Prageeth Rambukwella and Shantha Fonseka penalised Vipraj Nigam for running on the danger area of the pitch twice, in the 34th and 37th overs, after official warnings. As a result, Sri Lanka A began their chase with 10 runs on the board before a ball was bowled, a fact the ESPNcricinfo report flagged as a turning point. Cricbuzz wrote that the ruling “proved vital” because it meant Sri Lanka A effectively started their chase with 10 runs on the board and eventually matched India A’s 265. The 10-run head start is the kind of margin a tied 50-over game rarely produces from a single umpiring call.
The ruling was the first of the small-margin calls and pre-dated the light, the Super Over, and the shoving. Nigam was not the only bowler warned, and the 34th and 37th overs were the two in which the umpires concluded he had run on the protected area. The Hindustan Times live blog noted the penalty as “10-run penalty for India” at 8.34 am IST, the moment the call hit the scoreboard.
A Super Over in Near-Darkness
By the time Sri Lanka A came out to bat in the Super Over, it was 6.17 pm and sunset in Dambulla was eight minutes away. Cricbuzz reported that the umpires had indicated that India’s innings in the Super Over would be halted if the light worsened further.
The Indians took the umpires at their word and left the field once Sri Lanka A’s Super Over innings ended. Tilak Varma and India team management officials then had to speak to the reserve umpire about a third-umpire review on the final ball of Sri Lanka A’s Super Over, a high full-toss from Arshad Khan to Avishka Fernando that the on-field umpires had given out caught but that the third umpire, Chamara de Zoysa, ruled a waist-high no-ball. The Indian players had already changed, Sooryavanshi had already padded up, and the India A batters were ready to chase. The third umpire’s ruling meant the Indian fielders had to come back out to bowl the final delivery of Sri Lanka A’s Super Over all over again, and a free hit and a single on the rebound pushed the Sri Lanka A total to 18.
The numbers from the closing window make the conditions concrete: cut-off time 5.30 pm, Super Over start at 6.17 pm, and sunset 8 minutes later. The Super Over concluded in what the Cricbuzz account called “virtual darkness.”
Closing-window numbers
- Cut-off time for play: 5.30 pm
- Super Over start: 6.17 pm
- Time to sunset at Super Over start: 8 minutes
- Penalty runs added to Sri Lanka A’s chase: 10
- Super Over target: 18
How Mathulan and a No-Ball Settled the Super Over
Kugathas Mathulan, a 19-year-old slinger from Jaffna, was the bowler Sri Lanka A turned to for the Super Over, and the Cricbuzz account described him as a slinger “in the mould of Matheesha Pathirana.” Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge, the two India A openers in the Super Over, could manage only nine runs in their chase of 18. Mathulan’s final ball was the yorker that sealed it; Sooryavanshi had hit a four off the fifth ball of the over to bring the equation down to eight needed off one, but the yorker beat him.
The earlier drama sat on the final ball of Sri Lanka A’s Super Over. Arshad Khan bowled a high full-toss to Avishka Fernando, who failed to clear the infield and was caught by Anukul Roy, only for the third umpire to rule the delivery a waist-high no-ball. Cricbuzz called the call “at the very least, debatable.” The Indians had already left the ground; the fielders had to be called back. Sri Lanka A added a free-hit single to finish on 18, the total India A could not chase down.
The no-ball call came on top of a Super Over the Cricbuzz account said the home side did not want to play. Cricbuzz reported that the umpires had indicated they would halt India’s Super Over innings if the light worsened, then allowed play to continue after the light had deteriorated. The same account also said the third umpire’s no-ball call was debatable on a delivery in a Super Over played in “virtual darkness.”
The shoving between Sooryavanshi and Halambage came in the immediate aftermath of that sequence. The two men then confronted each other as the players walked off the field.
The Shoving Match After the Handshakes
The confrontation began with words, then turned to bat-pointing, then to shoving. Cricbuzz reported that Vishen Halambage, who had earlier made 17 off 11 balls for Sri Lanka A, exchanged sharp words with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the India A batters walked off. The Hindustan Times live blog gave a fuller picture of the build-up, reporting that Halambage had been clapping at the departing India batters and that he also tried to charge at Suryansh Shedge before Sooryavanshi stepped in.
Match over… now you go home…
Cricbuzz reported the line as something Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage said to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the Super Over. ESPNcricinfo’s account of the visuals is more specific: Suryansh Shedge was seen pointing his bat at Halambage, Sooryavanshi turned back, exchanged words, and the two were then seen shoving each other before Dickwella, the Sri Lanka A wicketkeeper, separated them. Sooryavanshi continued to gesticulate as he walked off the field. Halambage and Wanuja Sahan had earlier been seen having words to the departing India batters, a flashpoint ESPNcricinfo’s account said may have set the scene for the shoving.
The Cricbuzz account also reported a post-match discussion inside the Sri Lanka A dressing room about whether the team should apologise to the Indian side. Cricbuzz noted that the ICC does not normally adjudicate disciplinary matters arising from A-team series, and that it does not appoint the match officials for such series, both facts that shape any potential follow-up. The match had ended in a tie, and the players completed the customary handshakes, and the shoving followed.
Where the Tri-Series Stands Now
Sri Lanka A lead the tri-series points table with four points from three games, having won two of three. India A and Afghanistan A are level on two points, with India A having played one game more than Afghanistan A. Wednesday’s India A vs Afghanistan A fixture at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, scheduled for 4.30 am GMT, is now a do-or-die contest for a place in the final. Afghanistan A won the earlier India A vs Afghanistan A fixture on June 11 by four runs via the DLS method.
The tri-series is running in Dambulla, with the schedule showing the fifth match between Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A on Friday June 19 and the final scheduled for Sunday June 21. The Sportstar account described India A’s next match as “a do-or-die contest for a spot in the final,” with Sri Lanka A already “one foot in the final.” The Super Over in Dambulla on Monday was the kind of result that decides group standings on run rate as well as points, and the net run rate column will matter when the final standings are tallied.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the result of the India A vs Sri Lanka A match in Dambulla on June 15, 2026?
Sri Lanka A won the match via a Super Over after the regular 50-over innings ended in a tie at 265 runs each. Sri Lanka A scored 18 in the Super Over and India A managed 9.
Why did Sooryavanshi and Halambage get into a shoving match?
The shoving came after the Super Over finish, with Cricbuzz reporting that Halambage had said something to the effect of “Match over… now you go home…” to Sooryavanshi. ESPNcricinfo’s account said Suryansh Shedge pointed his bat at Halambage before Sooryavanshi turned back to confront him, and the two were seen shoving each other before wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella separated them.
Why was the Super Over in Dambulla controversial?
Cricbuzz reported that India A captain Tilak Varma pushed for a Super Over that the Sri Lankan side did not want to play, that the umpires had indicated they would halt India’s Super Over innings if the light worsened but allowed play to continue, and that the third-umpire ruling of a waist-high no-ball on Arshad Khan’s full toss to Avishka Fernando was “at the very least, debatable.” An SLC official, quoted by Cricbuzz, said: “There should never have been a Super Over in the first place.”
Will the ICC take action against the players involved in the shoving?
Cricbuzz reported that the ICC does not normally adjudicate disciplinary matters arising from A-team series, and that it does not appoint the match officials for such series. Any follow-up would sit with the team management of Sri Lanka A and India A rather than the ICC.
What’s next for India A in the tri-series?
India A face Afghanistan A in Dambulla on Wednesday, June 17, in what the Sportstar account called a do-or-die contest for a place in the final. The ESPNcricinfo series page lists the fifth match between Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A on Friday June 19 and the final on Sunday June 21.
