Kathmandu, November 9
After 18 matches in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), foreign players have made a bigger impact with the bat, while Nepali players have excelled with the ball.
Foreigners dominate the list of leading run-scorers, whereas Nepali bowlers lead the list of top wicket-takers.
Only three Nepalis feature among the top 10 run-scorers. Lokesh Bam of Biratnagar Kings leads the list with 194 runs. Pawan Sarraf of Karnali Yaks is eighth, level on runs with Moeen Ali. Biratnagar’s Imran Sheikh is ninth with 100 runs. All the others are foreign players.
Lokesh has scored 194 runs in five matches, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 153.96. Biratnagar’s Andre Russell is second with 144 runs in five matches, at a strike rate of 189.47. Saif Hassan of Janakpur Bolts is third with 140 runs.
David Warner of Kathmandu Gorkhas has scored 126 runs in three matches, with an average of 63 and a strike rate of 150. Ariful Islam of Karnali Yaks has made 119 runs in four matches. Chitwan Rhinos’ Ravi Bopara and Dawid Malan have scored 116 and 114 runs respectively.
David Miller is another example of the foreign batters’ influence. Playing just one match for Karnali Yaks, Miller scored an unbeaten 93. He hit five fours and seven sixes in his innings of 55 balls. That single match was enough to put him in the top 10 run-scorers.
Nepali bowlers impress
Although foreign players dominate the batting, Nepali bowlers have made a strong impression. Six of the top 10 wicket-takers are Nepalis.
Sher Malla of Lumbini Lions tops the list with eight wickets in four matches. Janakpur Bolts’ Rahul Yadav has also taken eight wickets, but he has played one more match than Sher.
Janakpur’s Moeen Ali has taken seven wickets in four matches, although he has since left for the UAE to play in the T10 league.
Anil Kharel of Sudurpaschim Royals has taken seven wickets in five matches. Kamal Singh Airee of Chitwan Rhinos has been impressive, also taking seven wickets in three matches. He conceded 33 runs in six overs and has a bowling average of 4.71.
Chitwan’s Rijan Dhakal has also taken seven wickets in three matches. In the most recent game, he took four wickets against Pokhara Avengers and played a key role in his team’s 30-run win. Karnali Yaks’ Sompal Kami has also taken seven wickets in four matches.
Among the Nepali bowlers, Kamal Singh Airee’s performance stands out. He has bowled in only two innings, taking seven wickets at an average of 4.71 runs per wicket.
Sher Malla and Rahul Yadav are joint leaders with eight wickets each.
Harmeet Singh of Janakpur and Angelo Mathews of Biratnagar Kings have taken seven wickets in five matches each. Jahandad Khan of Kathmandu Gorkhas has taken seven in four matches.
The presence of foreign players in the NPL appears to have intensified the competition in batting. Players such as Warner, Russell, Saif Hassan, Ariful Islam, Bopara and Malan are scoring runs for their teams. At the same time, Nepali bowlers are challenging the foreign batters and taking wickets.
As league-stage matches continue, the lists for both batting and bowling could change. But the performances so far show both the influence of foreign batters and the quality of Nepali bowlers in the NPL.
