Royals Reach NPL Playoffs with Five Straight Wins

Sudurpashchim Royals became the first team to secure a playoff berth in the second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) after defeating defending champions Janakpur Bolts by six wickets on Saturday, November 29.

The Bolts sit at the bottom of the table. They remain winless in four of their seven league matches.

The Royals, last season’s runners-up, chased down 146 in 17.4 overs at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. They stand top of the table with 10 points. The top four teams after seven matches qualify for the playoffs, with the top two advancing to Qualifier 1.

Harmeet Singh finished the chase in style. He struck Lalit Rajbanshi for three sixes in the first, second and fourth balls of the 18th over. The Royals needed 14 off the final three overs, and Singh’s hitting settled the contest. He remained unbeaten on 25 off 10 balls.

Ishan Pandey and Binod Bhandari steadied the innings after the early loss of Josh Brown and Chris Lynn in the first and second over, respectively. Pandey made 56 and Bhandari 42. Their partnership anchored the chase.

For Janakpur, Maaz Sadaqat took two wickets. Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Aaditya Mahata claimed one each.

Earlier, Janakpur posted 145 for 8 in 20 overs. The total came on the back of Krishnamurthi’s half-century and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s 39.

Abinash Bohara led the Royals’ attack. He claimed four wickets, including two in successive balls in the 18th over that halted Janakpur’s late surge. Scott Kuggeleijn took three wickets. Skipper Dipendra Singh Airee took one, but remained expensive.

Pandey was named the player of the match. 

The Kathmandu Gorkhas, third in the table with three wins from five matches, will face the Karnali Yaks in Sunday’s day–night fixture. The Yaks sit sixth with just two points from four matches.