Battle of the Blues 2026 Toronto – Results

The S. Thomas’ College (OBA of Canada) Stallions put together a strong all-around performance, but ended up on the wrong side of a thriller, falling just four runs short against the Royal College Stallions in a nail-biting T20 matchup.

Winning the toss and sending Royal in to bat first looked like the right call right out of the gate. Opening bowlers Surendranath Sundaralingam and Niroshan Balakrishnan tied the Royal openers in knots, holding them to just 22 runs without loss through the first five overs.

The Breakthroughs

The pressure finally broke Royal in the sixth over when Niroshan Balakrishnan got Joshua Manooj, thanks to a sharp catch by Surendranath Sundaralingam. Just an over later, Daniel Suppiah came on and struck with his very first delivery to remove opener Thihan Hewage, dropping Royal to 32 for 2. Niroshan then trapped Feroz Imitiaz lbw to leave Royal struggling at 37 for 3, putting the Thomians firmly in control.

Royal managed to rebuild with a solid stand between Chenduran Wijayanayagam (27) and Oshan Fernando (24), who counter-attacked with some big hits, including three sixes between them, to push Royal past the halfway mark.

The Thomians answered back. Thayaparan Thevathasan broke the dangerous partnership by getting Oshan Fernando caught by Rajit Kadirgamar, and then dismissed the set Chenduran Wijayanayagam, thanks to a brilliant catch by Arthikan Wilson. Thayaparan finished with great figures of 3 for 23, backed up well by Niroshan Balakrishnan (2/16) and Daniel Suppiah (1/18).

Chaotic Final Over

The highlight of the innings came at the very end. In a chaotic final over, some razor-sharp Thomian fielding triggered a major collapse. Three run-outs—involving Surendranath Sundaralingam, Sandesh Rodrigo, Rajit Kadirgamar, and Suresh Kandiah—plus a final wicket from Surendranath (dismissing Nava Rajkumar) wrapped up the innings. Royal were bowled out for 104, giving the Thomians a very manageable target.

The Chase

Chasing 105, the Thomians found themselves up against tight Royal bowling from the jump. Openers Arthikan Wilson and Sandesh Rodrigo set a steady base before Wilson started opening up, hitting two boundaries in a well-made 19. But when he was dismissed at 31 for 1, Royal saw their opening.

Wickets started falling at regular intervals, but Sandesh Rodrigo dug in with a patient 17 to keep the chase alive. Unfortunately, right as the required run rate started climbing, Royal struck twice in quick succession, leaving the Thomians needing 50 runs off the last seven overs.

The lower order wasn’t going down without a fight. Chitesh Rambukpotha gave the innings a quick jolt with 11, while Rajit Kadirgamar and Suresh Kandiah put together a clutch partnership to drag the Thomians right back into it. A timely boundary from Rajit and aggressive running from Suresh cut the requirement down to 14 runs from the final two overs, setting up a frantic finish.

Needing 8 off the last over, the Thomians pushed to the absolute last ball. Every run was a battle, but a couple of late wickets and costly run-outs sealed their fate, leaving them bowled out for 100—just four runs short of the target.

·         Thayaparan Thevathasan (3/23): Picked up three crucial middle-order wickets to break Royal’s momentum.

·         Niroshan Balakrishnan (2/16): Set the tone early with an economic spell and two quick wickets.

·         Daniel Suppiah (1/18): Got a wicket with his first ball and kept things tight throughout.

·         Fielding Unit: Three late run-outs kept Royal’s final total well within reach.

·         Arthikan Wilson: 19

·         Sandesh Rodrigo: 17

·         Rajit Kadirgamar: 11

·         Chitesh Rambukpotha: 11

·         Suresh Kandiah: 9

Match Overview

While the result didn’t go the Thomians’ way, they showed serious fight and discipline from start to finish. Great work in the field, disciplined bowling, and a never-say-die chase kept this one alive until the final over. A single boundary here or there could have flipped the outcome, making it one of the absolute best games of the tournament.

The S. Thomas’ College (OBA of Canada) Mustangs showed serious grit and patience to pull off a hard-fought three-wicket win over the Royal College (OBA of Canada) Mustangs. In a low-scoring match that turned into a total nail-biter, the Thomians held their nerve to cross the line.

After electing to bowl first, the Thomian attack went straight to work. Opening bowlers Meshan Rajakaruna and Sansayan Sathkunathan shredded the Royal top order, blowing through their top three for just 11 runs inside the first two overs.

A Dream Start with the Ball

Meshan Rajakaruna was nearly impossible to play early on. He struck twice in his very first over—removing Heshan Thuduwage for a duck and knocking back Eshan Jayawardana’s stumps for 4.

Sansayan Sathkunathan jumped right in on the action, trapping Charitha Sirimanna lbw for 6 before coming back to send Devind Pathmanathan and Shaheem Iqbal packing. Royal were reeling at 20 for 4 after six overs, with the Thomian bowlers completely running the show.

The pressure didn’t drop for a second. Meshan came back to grab his third and fourth wickets, while Sansayan kept pinning the batsmen down at the other end. By the end of the 13th over, Royal were stuck at 30 for 8 as the Thomians closed in.

The Bowling Breakdown

The scorecard said it all:

• Meshan Rajakaruna: 4/13 (7 overs)
• Sansayan Sathkunathan: 4/19 (7 overs)
• Sarankan Satkunanathan: 1/8
• Vishan De Mel: 1/3
• Sahan Vimukthi: 0/3 (4 overs)

Meshan and Sansayan split eight wickets between them, while Sahan gave away just three runs in his four-over spell to keep Royal suffocated.

Clean Hands in the Field

The bowling effort was backed up by some sharp fielding. Sachinda Liyanaarachchi took two big catches behind the stumps to dismiss Heshan Thuduwage and Devind Pathmanathan, while Rajinda Ratwatte held on to a catch to get rid of Shaheem Iqbal for 2. Sahan Vimukthi also made a great play to catch Kavindu Hapuarachchilage for 4, handing Sansayan his fourth wicket.

With four catches taken and the bowlers hitting their marks, the Thomian Mustangs rolled Royal over for just 48 in 23.3 overs, setting up a target of 49.

A Very Shaky Chase

Chasing 49 should have been a walk in the park, but Royal’s attack made sure the Thomians had to sweat for every run.

Top Performers

With the Ball

• Meshan Rajakaruna (4/13): Set the tone early with an accurate, high-pressure seven-over spell.
• Sansayan Sathkunathan (4/19): Snagged four key wickets and was huge in tearing through the top order.
• Sahan Vimukthi (0/3): Four overs, three maidens, and just three runs allowed—pure lockdown bowling.
• Sarankan Satkunanathan (1/8): Bowled a tight spell before coming through late with the bat.

With the Bat

• Sachinda Liyanaarachchi – 13 (55 balls):* Anchored the chase, showing incredible patience when the team was collapsing around him.
• Sarankan Satkunanathan – 12 (16 balls):* Played the hero role late with an unbeaten knock, topped off by the match-winning six.
• Shantha Jayasekara – 7 (11 balls): Hit a key boundary when the team badly needed momentum.

Final Scorecard

• Royal College Mustangs: 48 all out (23.3 overs)
• S. Thomas’ College Mustangs: 51/7 (19.2 overs)

Result: S. Thomas’ College Mustangs won by 3 wickets.