KAHMANDU, Dec 14: After lifting the title of the second edition of the Nepal Premier League NPL, Lumbini Lions captain Rohit Paudel said the moment felt like a dream coming true.
Speaking to reporters after defeating Sudurpaschim Royals in the final at Kirtipur on Saturday, Paudel said the journey from a poor start to becoming champions felt unreal.
Talking about his hat trick that turned the final on its head, Rohit said he never imagined it would happen. “To be honest, I never even dreamed of taking a hat trick,” he said. “At that time their innings was collapsing. The hat trick put them under more pressure and today everything worked in my favor.”
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He said he did not expect to restrict Sudurpaschim to just 85 runs. “We were expecting a target of around 140 to 150 runs, but the combined effort of Ruben, Sher Malla and the other bowlers brought an unexpected result,” he added.
Praising Sher Malla, who has now won the NPL title twice in a row, Paudel called him Lumbini’s trump card.
In a light-hearted tone, Rohit said, “Sher Malla is a top class player. Whenever we needed wickets, he delivered. We picked him at the auction knowing that wherever Sher Malla goes, trophies tend to follow.”
Rohit became emotional while speaking about winning the car awarded to the tournament’s most valuable player. He said his focus had always been on the trophy, not the prize.
“Honestly, I never thought about the car, my mind was only on the trophy,” he said. “Today my parents, my brother and sister in law are all at the ground. I wanted to take them home in the car. I kept playing well, we won the trophy, and the car followed on its own.”
He admitted he was not fully satisfied with his batting performance during the tournament. “I did not score even a single half century. There is room for personal improvement,” he said. “But when the team wins, individual performance fades into the background, and I am happy with that.”
Paudel said reaching this stage and winning the trophy after managing just one win and three losses in the league phase was a big achievement for Lumbini.
He credited the title win to the foreign players, young Nepali cricketers and the team’s collective belief.
