KATHMANDU, NOV 10: Sudurpaschim Royals secured a convincing 27-run victory over Janakpur Bolts in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Tuesday night, strengthening their position in the playoff race.
Chasing a modest target of 121, Janakpur were bowled out for just 93 in 19.5 overs at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Tritraj Das top-scored for Janakpur with 21 runs, while Jimmy Neesham contributed 20. However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to make a significant impact as Sudurpaschim’s bowlers maintained control throughout the innings.
Scott Kuggeleijn led the Royals’ bowling attack with an impressive spell of 3 wickets for just 13 runs in four overs. Hemant Dhami, Tharindu Ratnayake, Dipendra Singh Airee, Anil Kharel and Ishan Pandey claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, Sudurpaschim posted 120/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Brandon McMullen was the top scorer with 33 off 23 deliveries, including two fours and two sixes. Tharindu Ratnayake remained unbeaten on 27, while Arif Sheikh scored 11. Saif Zaib and Binod Bhandari added 10 runs apiece.
For Janakpur, Harmit Singh was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs. Harry Tector, Rahul Yadav, Aditya Mahata and Abhishek Tiwari picked up one wicket each.
With this victory, Sudurpaschim moved up to second place in the NPL standings with eight points from six matches. Janakpur, meanwhile, remained fifth with four points from an equal number of games.
