Kathmandu, November 13
Sudurpaschim Royals secured their place in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) playoffs after defeating Kathmandu Gorkhas by seven runs on Friday.
Chasing a target of 126 runs, Kathmandu managed 118 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.
After being put into bat, Sudurpaschim struggled early and were reduced to eight for four in 2.3 overs. Scott Kuggeleijn, Binod Bhandari, Brandon McMullen and Ishan Pandey departed cheaply.
Captain Dipendra Singh Airee then steadied the innings with a 60-run knock off 55 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. He shared a crucial partnership with Aarif Sheikh, who scored 16 off 25 deliveries.
Tharindu Ratnayake remained unbeaten on 26 off 23 balls, while Fabian Allen added an unbeaten two as Sudurpaschim finished on 125 for six.
For Kathmandu, Jahandad Khan was the leading bowler with three wickets for 22 runs. Santosh Yadav claimed two wickets.
In reply, Kathmandu lost Bhim Sharki for a duck in the second over. Sam Heazlett scored 11 before being run out, while Mohammad Aadil Alam made eight and Santosh Yadav scored 10.
Rashid Khan kept Kathmandu’s hopes alive with an unbeaten 35 off 31 balls, including five boundaries. Dushan Hemantha contributed 21 off 18 deliveries, but the required run rate proved difficult to maintain.
Kathmandu finished on 118 for seven, falling seven runs short of the target.
For Sudurpaschim, Anil Kharel took two wickets, while Scott Kuggeleijn, Fabian Allen and Hemant Dhami claimed one each.
With the victory, Sudurpaschim joined Lumbini Lions in securing a playoff berth in the NPL.
