KATHMANDU, Dec 18: Sudurpaschim Royals have entered the finals of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) after defeating Janakpur Bolts by 8 wickets in the first qualifier on Wednesday.
Defeated Janakpur will now face Karnali Yaks in the second qualifier on Thursday. The winner between these two teams will play the final against Royals on Saturday. Earlier on Wednesday, Karnali Yaks defeated Chitwan Rhinos in the eliminator and qualified for the qualifiers.
NPL Grand Finale: Royals see formidable rivals in Bolts
Sudurpaschim Royals achieved the modest target of 140 runs set by Janakpur in 18.3 overs by losing 2 wickets at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Binod Bhandari played a significant innings, remaining not out on 58 runs. He set the foundation for the victory by playing 59-run partnership with Brandon McMullen for the second wicket after the team lost another opener Saif Zaib. He also partnered with Captain Dipendra Singh Airee for the third wicket, who remained not out for 20 runs. Brandon was dismissed for 25 runs while Saif Zaib scored 32 runs.
Lalit Rajbanshi and Kishore Mahato were the only ones to take wickets. Lalit, who had been economical in previous matches, gave away 37 runs in his spell. Although Janakpur gave a chance to 6 bowlers, all except Kishore and Harsh Thaker failed miserably.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, Janakpur posted 139 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted overs.
For Janakpur, James Neesham was the standout performer, scoring 45 runs off 23 balls. Lahiru Milantha was dismissed for 12 runs, while captain Asif Sheikh was bowled out for 11 runs. Shubh Kansakar made 26 runs before being run out, and Harsh Thaker scored 12 runs. Arniko Yadav also contributed 11 runs.
Captain Dipendra Singh Airee took 3 wickets, Saif Zaib took 2 wickets and Scott Kuggeleign took one wicket for Royals.
