A disciplined bowling performance, spearheaded by Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 19), restricted Ireland to 128 before Kusal Mendis scored his second half-century of the tournament to complete his side's chase with 30 balls to spare
Hobart: Ireland 128-8, Sri Lanka 133-1 - Sri Lanka won by nine wickets
Sri Lanka delivered a clinical team performance as they defeated Ireland by nine wickets to make a winning start to the Super 12s.
A disciplined bowling display, spearheaded by Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 19), restricted Ireland to 128 for 8. Kusal Mendis then scored his second half-century of the tournament to complete his side's chase with 30 balls to spare.
Ireland won the toss and elected to bat, but Lahiru Kumara ensured there wouldn't be a repeat of the powerplay fireworks seen against West Indies two days earlier, bowling Andy Balbirnie for 1 in the second over.
Lorcan Tucker also departed inside the opening six overs, bowled by Theekshana, before Paul Stirling looked to up the ante, finishing the powerplay with a flurry of boundaries off Chamika Karunaratne.
Kusal Mendis scored a half-century for Sri Lanka [David Gray/Getty Images]
The opener was dropped on 28 in the eighth but fortunately, it didn't come back to haunt Sri Lanka, with Dhananjaya de Silva striking a few balls later to remove the opener for 34 (25). Karunaratne then removed the dangerous Curtis Campher on the stroke of drinks to reduce Ireland to 60 for 4.
Harry Tector and George Dockrell held firm until the 17th over but could only add 47 runs off 41 deliveries for the fifth wicket against the strangling spin of Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana and Dhananjaya.
Four wickets then fell for the addition of just 11 runs, including three in the space of five deliveries, as Ireland limped to 128 at close. Theekshana bowled Dockrell to pick up his second of the day, Binura Fernando accounted for Tector – who top-scored for Ireland with 45 (42), and Hasaranga combined with Karunaratne twice in an over to remove Gareth Delany and Mark Adair.
Sri Lanka broke the back of their chase inside the powerplay, Mendis and Dhananjaya bringing up their side's 50 off 36 balls thanks to regular boundaries off Josh Little, Adair and Barry McCarthy.
Delany struck in the ninth over to remove Dhananjaya (caught Tucker) for 31 (25) and he should have dismissed Charith Asalanka just after drinks, but Dockrell put down a simple chance.
Mendis, however, kept a steady hand on proceedings, bringing up his half-century off 37 balls (five fours, one six) in the 13th over before Asalanka burst into life in the 14th, dispatching Little for back-to-back fours to bring up their fifty partnership.
Fittingly, it was opener Mendis who had the final say, sealing the win with a six off Simi Singh to finish unbeaten on 68 off 43 balls.