Kathmandu: Lumbini Lions have clinched the title of Nepal Premiere League (NPL) 2025
Lumbini Lions defeated Sudurpaschim Royals by 6 wickets at T.U. International Cricket Ground on Saturday. After the defeat, Sudurpaschim Royals became the runner-up of the tournament for the second time in row. Dipendra Singh Airee decision to bat first went wrong as they onl scored 85 runs, losing all their wickets in 20 overs.In the first powerplay, Sudurpashchim lost 3 wickets and could only score 20 runs. This match marked the first time that two Nepali openers, Vinod Bhandari and Ishan Pandey, took the field for Sudurpashchim in the current NPL season.
On the final ball of the first over, opener Vinod was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by Dinesh Adhikari off a Trampelman delivery. In the third over, Selden Jackson, who came in at number three, was out for just 1 run, trapped lbw by Trampelman. By the time they lost their second wicket, Sudurpashchim had only 7 runs on the board.
Arif Sheikh managed to score 6 runs before being dismissed lbw by Sher Mall. At 19 runs, Sudurpashchim had lost 3 wickets and was under mounting pressure. By the end of the 10th over, they had only scored 41 runs.
In the 11th over, Sudurpashchim suffered another blow. Captain Rohit achieved a hat-trick. On the 4th ball of the over, Dipendra, the captain and a key player, was dismissed for 13 runs, caught by Trampelman.
On the 5th ball of the same over, Dipak Bohra was out for a golden duck, caught by Sandip Jora. In the final ball of the over, Punita Mehra also got out for a golden duck, trapped lbw.
With this, Rohit became the second player in the NPL to take a hat-trick. Earlier, Sahab Alam of Kathmandu Gorkhas had also taken a hat-trick against Pokhara Avengers. By the end of the 11th over, Sudurpashchim had only managed 44 runs and was in deep trouble.
Other than Ishan, no Sudurpashchim batter could stay at the crease for long. Sher Mall had Hermit Singh caught off a Darcy shot for just 10 runs. The struggles continued, and Sudurpashchim’s eighth wicket fell when Ishan, their top scorer, was dismissed by Sher Mall.
In the 16th over, Ishan, who had made 33 runs from 51 balls, including 1 four, was caught by Mobeen Shubasingh. Ishan was the highest scorer for Sudurpashchim. At 8 wickets down, Sudurpashchim had scored just 71 runs.
Scott Kugelan made 10 runs before being dismissed by Tilak Bhandari. With his wicket, Sudurpashchim was all out for 85 runs.
In the bowling department, Trampelman was exceptional, taking 3 wickets for just 3 runs in 2.1 overs. Rohit also performed well, taking 3 wickets for 12 runs in 4 overs, bringing his total wickets for the season to 10.
Sher Mall also had a great performance, taking 3 wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs, which brought his season total to 17 wickets.