NPL 2025: Karnali trounce Lumbini by 9 wickets

Kathmandu, Nov 22: Karnali Yaks defeated Lumbini Lions by 9 wickets to register their first win in Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025. 

Riding on an explosive century (144 runs in 44 balls) by Opener Mark Watt, Karnali went past the victory target of 157 runs in 12.2 overs and at the loss of only one wicket. Watt's score was studded with 12 sixes and 6 fours, as he scored at a strike rate of  259.09. His opening partner, Priyank Panchal scored 12 runs in 10 balls while one down batsman William Bosisto contributed 29 runs in 20 balls, as he played second fiddle to Watt, who made a mockery of the Lumbini bowlers, scoring 4 sixes in the 10th over bowled by Captain Rohit Paudel. He finished the match with two consecutive sixes.

This is the first century of ILP 2025, which gave Karnali Yaks their first point of the tournament. 

For the bowling side, the lone wicket was taken by Sher Malla.

Earlier, Lumbini Lions scored 156 runs in 20 overs at the loss of 8 wickets in the match played at TU International Ground in Kirtipur.

Put into bat first, Lumbini posted 156 runs, thanks to the top scorer Captain Rohit Paudel, who scored 49 runs in 43 balls. A late flurry of runs by JJ Smit and Ruben Trumpelmann, who scored 23 and 29 in the equal 14 balls, pushed Lumbini towards the total that the bowlers would try to defend. D'Arcy Shot also scored 19 runs.

For the bowling side, Nandan Yadav took 2 wickets while Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Bipin Sharma, Yubaraj Khatri and Mark Watt took 1 wicket each.

This was the second match for both the teams in the second season of NPL, a franchise-based Twenty20 cricket tournament. Lumbini have 2 points following a win in the first match, while Karnali collected their first point of the tournament.

The second match, a day-night one, is being played between Biratnagar Kings and Kathmandu Gorkhas. The match is scheduled to start at 4:15 pm, and will be played under floodlights. (RSS)