Kathmandu, December 11
Lumbini Lions have reached the final of the Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League (NPL) for the first time.
In the second qualifier held on Thursday, Lumbini secured their place in the final of the second edition by defeating Biratnagar Kings by 40 runs.
Lumbini will now face Sudurpaschim Royals for the title. The Royals had already reached their second consecutive final after defeating Biratnagar in the first qualifier.
Chasing a target of 135 runs set by Lumbini, Biratnagar were bowled out for 94 runs in 17.5 overs.
For Biratnagar, Sam Hain scored 34 runs off 28 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes. Naren Bhatt scored 21, and Merchant de Lange contributed 17 runs. The remaining players failed to reach double digits.
Lumbini’s Ruben Trumpelmann and Sher Malla delivered an impressive spell in the powerplay, taking early wickets and shaking Biratnagar’s innings from the start.
At 6–3 and then 30–4, Biratnagar were in trouble, but a 28-run partnership between Hain and de Lange offered brief resistance. Once the stand was broken, Biratnagar’s batting collapsed completely.
For Lumbini, Tilak Bhandari took 3 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs. Ruben Trumpelmann picked up 2 wickets for just 9 runs in 3 overs. Abhisesh Gautam took 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. JJ Smit also took 2 wickets, while Sher Malla claimed 1.
Earlier, after losing the toss at the TU International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur, Lumbini posted 134 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
For Lumbini, opener D’Arcy Short scored the highest with 45 runs. He faced 41 balls and hit 3 fours and 1 six.
With the team at 8 runs for 1 wicket, Dinesh Adhikari fell for just 1 run. Short and captain Rohit Paudel then built a 69-run partnership for the second wicket. Rohit scored 34 runs off 30 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Dinesh Adhikari, who opened for the second consecutive match, once again failed to impress. Wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella added 29 runs off 22 balls with 4 boundaries.
Sandip Jora and JJ Smit were dismissed for ducks, while Dilip Nath managed only 1 run. Sher Malla contributed 7 runs.
Lumbini were at 69/1 after the first 10 overs but struggled in the remaining half of the innings. In the last 10 overs, they added 65 runs but lost 7 wickets.
Biratnagar bowlers, especially Subash Bhandari, captain Sandeep Lamichhane, and Pratish GC, bowled exceptionally well, taking regular wickets and putting pressure on Lumbini’s innings.
Subash took 3 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs. Pratish took 3 wickets for 25 runs in 4 overs, while captain Sandeep claimed 2 wickets for 18 runs in his 4 overs.
