Sri Lanka, the winner of the 1996 ODI World Cup and the runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, has been one of the most balanced sides in the game of cricket. Especially in ODI cricket, their success and achievements are world-renowned. They have done a good job in big tournaments and against top-ranked teams.
However, among all those successes, they have also faced some bad days when their opponent completely dominated them. The unwanted record for the biggest ODI defeat is registered under the name of the Sri Lanka team. This article will have a list of the top biggest losing margins for Sri Lanka in ODI cricket.
Highest Win Margin in ODI vs Sri Lanka
| Team | Margin | Target | Venue | Date |
| India | 317 runs | 391 | Thiruvananthapuram | 15 Jan 2023 |
| South Africa | 258 runs | 302 | Paarl | 11 Jan 2012 |
| Australia | 232 runs | 324 | Adelaide | 28 Jan 1985 |
| Pakistan | 217 runs | 296 | Sharjah | 17 Apr 2002 |
| New Zealand | 198 runs | 275 | Auckland | 25 Mar 2023 |
| West Indies | 193 runs | 249 | Sharjah | 3 Dec 1986 |
| Pakistan | 192 runs | 331 | Nottingham | 14 Jun 1975 |
| West Indies | 191 runs | 361 | Karachi | 13 Oct 1987 |
| India | 183 runs | 293 | Johannesburg | 10 Mar 2003 |
| South Africa | 177 runs | 318 | Centurion | 29 Nov 2002 |
3. Australia (232 runs) vs Sri Lanka in January 1985
Sri Lanka recorded their third-biggest ODI loss against Australia. It came in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup. This was the 13th game of the season at the Adelaide Oval. Batting first, Australia scored a big total of 323/2 in their 50 overs. Skipper Allan Border smashed an unbeaten century 118 off 88 balls. Dean Jones (99*) and Steve Smith (55) also played good innings.
The Sri Lankan bowling performance was below par performances, the Sri Lankan batting also failed miserbly. Chasing a huge target, they only scored 91 runs and got all out in 35.5 overs. Only two Sri Lankan batters scored over 10 runs. As a result, Australia thrashed the Sri Lankan team by 232 runs.
2. South Africa (258 runs) vs Sri Lanka in January 2012
The second-biggest ODI defeat for Sri Lanka came against South Africa. It occurred on their tour to South Africa for five ODIs in 2012. This was the first ODI in Paarl and South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first. They started well with a century from Hashim Amla. He scored 112 runs with 8 fours. Jacques Kallis (72) and AB de Villiers (52) also scored half-centuries.
South Africa managed a par target of 301/8. Lasith Malinga picked up 5/54 in the first inning. Chasing the target, Sri Lanka lost both of their openers for a duck. The top six Sri Lankan batters combined to score 10 runs. They kept losing wickets and got all out for their lowest ODI total of 43 runs in 20.1 overs. South Africa won that game by 258 runs.
1. India (317 runs) vs Sri Lanka in January 2023
The biggest defeat in ODI cricket is registered by the Sri Lankan cricket team. It came recently, in January 2023, when they toured India for a white-ball series. It was the final game of the three ODIs in Trivandrum. After winning the toss, India chose to bat first. The Men in Blue had two big hundreds in the middle. Shubman Gill scored 116 off 97 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.
Virat Kohli showed his vintage best and smashed an unbeaten 166 off 110 balls, with 13 fours and 8 sixes. India went on to score a massive total of 390/5. It was a record chase, and Sri Lanka required good support from their batters. But the second inning had completely opposite batting performance. The visitors got all out for just 73 runs in 22 overs and lost the game by a massive 317 runs.