Sudurpashchim Defeats Janakpur to Reach NPL Final

Kathmandu – In the first edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), Sudurpashchim Royals have secured a place in the final.

In the first qualifier held on Wednesday, they defeated Janakpur Royals by 8 wickets to secure a spot in the final.

The defeated Janakpur team will have another chance to reach the final in tomorrow’s second qualifier, where they will compete against Karnali for a spot in the final.

In the match at the TU Ground in Kirtipur, Janakpur won the toss and opted to bat first. They set a target of 140 runs, which Sudurpashchim Royals chased down with 9 balls to spare, losing only 2 wickets.

In Sudurpashchim’s comfortable victory, opener Binod Bhandari played an unbeaten half-century, scoring 58 runs from 55 balls. Brandon McMullen made 25 runs, while Dipendra Singh Airee remained not out at 20.

Before that, opener Saif Jib made 32 runs. For Janakpur, Lalit Rajwanshi and Kishor Mahto took one wicket each. Janakpur, after winning the toss and batting first, scored 139 runs, losing 9 wickets in their 20 overs.

For Janakpur, Jimmy Neesham top-scored with an innings of 45 runs from 23 balls. Apart from him, captain Asif Sheikh scored 11 runs, while Lahiru Milintha was out for 12 runs.

Similarly, Shub Kansakar was dismissed for 26 runs, and Harsh Thakur returned to the pavilion for 12 runs. Araniko Yadav was out for 11 runs. For Sudurpashchim, Dipendra Singh Airee took 3 wickets, while Saif Jib took 2 wickets. Scott Kuggeleijn and Abhinash Bohara took 1 wicket each.