Kathmandu: Lumbini Lions have clinched the title of the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), trouncing Sudurpaschim Royals by six wickets in the final match held at the Kirtipur-based TU International Cricket Stadium today. Sudurpaschim Royals is the first runner-up team of the first edition of NPL.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Sudurpaschim had to settle for the runner-up position this time as well. In the final of the first edition, Sudurpaschim was defeated by Janakpur Bolts. Lumbini bagged Rs 11 million along with the title, while the runner-up Sudurpaschim received Rs 5.1 million.
Lumbini successfully chased the target of 86 runs set by Sudurpaschim, achieving it in nine overs while losing four wickets. Dinesh Adhikari was the top scorer for Lumbini, contributing 42 runs in 13 balls, including one four and five sixes. D’Arcy Short added 14 runs with three fours in 13 balls, and Captain Rohit Paudel scored 16 runs with two fours and a six in 12 balls. Niroshan Dickwella remained unbeaten on 11 runs, while Sandip Jora was out for zero.
In bowling for Sudurpaschim, Hemanta Dhami took two wickets, while Avinash Bohora and Dipendra Singh Airee took one wicket each. Earlier, Sudurpaschim, having won the toss and opting to bat first, were bowled out for 85 runs in 19.1 overs. Ishan Pandey scored the highest 33 runs for Sudurpaschim, with captain Dipendra Singh Airee, Harmit Singh, and Scott Kuggeleijn each contributing modest scores.
The bowlers of Lumbini Lions performed exceptionally to restrain Sudurpaschim to a modest run total. For Lumbini, Sher Malla, Ruben Trampelman, and captain Rohit Paudel took three wickets each, while Tika Bhandari took one wicket.