Sudurpaschim meets Janakpur, Karnali takes on Chitwan in NPL playoffs

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec. 17: Sudurpaschim Royals secured their spot in Qualifier 1 against Janakpur Bolts after finishing at the top of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). They defeated the Karnali Yaks by six wickets in their final league match on Monday, ending the season with 12 points from six wins and one loss.

Janakpur Bolts held second place with 10 points, having achieved five wins and two losses. Despite their defeat, Karnali Yaks maintained fourth place in the NPL standings and will face Chitwan Rhinos in the eliminator round. Both Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks have eight points, with four wins and three losses each.

The winner of Qualifier 1 will advance directly to the final, while the losing team will compete against the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 for a chance to secure the final spot.

Sudurpaschim defeat Karnali

In the final match of the NPL league stage held on Monday, Sudurpaschim successfully chased down the target of 102 runs set by Karnali Yaks, scoring 104 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 15.2 overs.

Captain Dipendra Singh Airee and Ishan Pandey each contributed 38 runs to Sudurpaschim's victory. While Ishan remained not out, Captain Dipendra was dismissed by Nandan Yadav in the 15th over. Opener Saif Zaib added 11 runs to the total.

For Karnali, Captain Sompal Kami, Bipin Sharma, and Nandan Yadav each took 1 wicket. Batting first after losing the toss at the TU Cricket Ground, Karnali Yaks were bowled out for 101 runs in 20 overs. Zeeshan Maqsood was their top scorer with 30 runs, hitting 4 fours off 35 balls.

Before being dismissed by Dipendra, Maqsood shared a significant 39-run partnership for the fifth wicket with William Bosisto, who scored 16 runs off 24 balls.

Chadwick Walton managed 14 runs off 16 balls before being trapped lbw by Saif Ali Zaib in the 9th over.  Opener Babar Hayat scored 13 runs off 9 balls, while the other opener, Rit Gautam, was dismissed without scoring. Dev Khanal was run out for 7 runs off 12 balls.

Sudurpaschim dealt with an injury to Naren Saud, who was replaced by Khadak Bohora, after trying to save a boundary hit by Babar in the second over. Captain Sompal Kami scored 11 runs off 9 balls before being dismissed by Kuggeleijn and Gulshan Jha ran out after adding just 2 runs off 2 balls.

For Sudurpaschim, Harmeet Singh took 3 wickets, while Captain Dipendra and Kuggeleijn each took 2 wickets.