The 95th Battle of the Maroons: The Legendary One Day Cricket Spectacle

The 48th edition of the iconic Battle of the Maroons, the historic one-day cricket rivalry between Ananda College and Nalanda College, took place on March 16, 2025, at the SSC Grounds, Colombo. This One day series was held concurrently with the 95th Battle of the Maroons which took place in Feb 28, March 1 & 2 at SSC grounds.This annual event is a celebration of sportsmanship, tradition, and the enduring camaraderie between Ananda and Nalanda legends.
The match began with a vibrant opening ceremony, which featured captivating performances by the school bands and a memorable parade of past captains from both teams. Nalanda College won the toss and chose to bowl first, giving a strong start to the match.

This year, Ananda College set a challenging total, scoring 249 runs for 9 wickets in their 50 overs. After a determined batting effort, Ananda concluded their innings, handing the chase over to Nalanda.
However, the match soon encountered an unexpected obstacle. The weather soon intervened, interrupting play and disrupting the momentum. Nalanda College managed to score 62 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. The standout performer for Nalanda was Hasith Rathnayake, who mesmerized the crowd with his spectacular bowling display, claiming 4 crucial wickets and providing Ananda with a tremendous challenge. In an interesting twist, Nalanda’s captain also took the wicket of Ananda’s captain, further shifting the momentum in favor of Nalanda.

However, due to the ongoing weather challenges, no result could be achieved, and the match was called off. This marked the 6th time in the history of the Battle of the Maroons one day encounter that a match was concluded without a decision. As per tradition, the P. de S. Kularatne Memorial Challenge Trophy was retained by Ananda College, since they emerged as victorious team last year.