Kirtipur: Biratnagar Kings have defeated Pokhara Avengers by 53 runs in the second match held today under the Nepal Premier League 2025. In the match played under floodlights at TU international cricket stadium in Kirtipur, Biratnagar scored a mammoth 220 runs at the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs, after being put into bat first. This is the highest total scored by any team in the NPL to date.
According to National News Agency Nepal, opener Lokesh Bam and one down batsman Martin Guptil scored half-centuries to help register the first win for their team. Bam scored 72 runs in 48 balls while Guptil scored 61 runs in 35 balls. Subham Ranjane added 38 runs in 16 balls, and Narayan Joshi contributed 11 runs in just 3 balls. For the bowling side, Matt Taylor took 2 wickets in his full quota of 4 overs while Aakash Chand, Sagar Dhakal, and Kushal Bhurtel took 1 wicket each.
In reply, Pokhara were all out in the 18.5 overs with only 167 runs on the board. Only captain Kushal Bhurtel, with 59 runs in 31 balls, and Adam Rossington, with 39 runs in 21 balls, were able to make notable contributions with the bat. For Biratnagar, captain Sandeep Lamichhane took 2 wickets, giving away only 18 runs in 4 overs, while Pratish GC, Subham Ranjane, and Marchant de Lange also took 2 wickets each.
Kathmandu Gorkhas will face Sudur Paschim Royals in the match to be played at 4:00 pm tomorrow. Kathmandu started with a win, defeating defending champions Janakpur Bolts by 5 wickets in the inaugural match of the tournament.