defeat<\/a> for the first time this season after losing to Chitwan Rhinos by 48 runs, which put an end to their three-match unbeaten run.<\/p>\nBut the Royals stayed as the only immortal team of the season defeating the Lions by seven wickets on Thursday, thanks to Binod Bhandari\u2019s winning knock of 69 off 49. While it was Harmeet Singh (7 off 3) who completed the chase for Sudurpaschim in 18.2 overs, Sudur\u2019s opener, wicketkeeper-batsman Bhandari, remained at the crease until he ensured the team\u2019s fourth win in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Winning the toss for the first time in four matches, skipper Dipendra Singh Airee invited the Lions to face their bowling attack. It was also the first time this season that the Royals were bowling first, and they capitalised on it as well.<\/p>\n
The Lions were doing well until the end of the 14th over. They had lost the two openers\u2014D\u2019Arcy Short (18 off 11) and Sumit Maharjan (18 off 14)\u2014and the team\u2019s score was taken to the three digits by a 50+ partnership for the third wicket by skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel and wicketkeeper-batsman Dilip Nath. However, as the first ball of the 15th over was bowled by Hemant Dhami, Paudel attempted an unorthodox shot behind the stumps, but he got caught out by Bhandari after contributing 35 off 36. Gulbadin Naib (11 off 9) followed Paudel as he was also caught out by wicketkeeper Bhandari. And after Ruben Trumplemann departed for a duck getting runout by Airee\u2019s direct throw, Nath (31 off 29) was also caught behind.<\/p>\n
The last five Lumbini batters could only contribute 23 runs off the bat before the team was bundled out for 143 runs with two balls remaining in the first innings.<\/p>\n
Abinash Bohara and Singh bagged three wickets each for the Royals, while Dhami picked two and Scott Kuggeleijn took one.<\/p>\n
In turn, Sudurpaschim required only five batters to complete the chase. Abhishesh Gautam gave the Lions the first relief as Royals\u2019 opener Josh Brown (9 off 7) was caught out in the second over, while experienced Chris Lynn (16 off 14) and Aarif Sheikh (39 off 37) also departed after being caught out. But as Bhandari stayed on the crease, thanks to some luck for his catches being dropped, keeping the scoreboard ticking, the Royals were never out of the chase.<\/p>\n
Binod dissatisfied despite a good knock<\/b><\/p>\n
Binod Bhandari is a known name in the Nepali cricket scene, having played the gentleman\u2019s game for more than a decade. He was playing for the senior team when Nepal played their maiden T20 World Cup in 2014, which saw the Rhinos have their shortest-format match recognised as a T20I for the first time.<\/p>\n
Since the first game of the 2014 World Cup, which was against Hong Kong on March 16, to their last T20I, which was against Samoa in the Asia & EAP Qualifier for the 2026 T20 World Cup on October 17 this year, Nepal have played 112 T20Is. Bhandari has been part of 40 of those T20Is, with his last coming against Papua New Guinea during the tri-nation friendly hosted by Hong Kong in March last year. But he was not part of the squad when the Rhinos played their second-ever T20 World Cup after a decade in June 2024.<\/p>\n
Thus, when Bhandari, who had arrived as Janakpur\u2019s representative to respond to media queries in the post-match conference after the win over Lumbini, was asked if he saw the NPL as the selection ground for the 2026 T20 World Cup being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February next year, the 35-year-old replied, \u201cWho said it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of the top five batters from the 2025 Men\u2019s PM Cup in March have been included in the senior squad,\u201d Bhandari lamented. \u201cEven though I had a good time in the recent PM Cups and the inaugural NPL last year, I was not even called for the closed camp. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t think this NPL is also a base for selecting the team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the top six batsmen with most runs in the first season of the NPL, there were only two Nepalis. National team skipper Paudel was third in the list with 279 runs in seven innings, while Bhandari was sixth with 235 runs in nine innings. Bhandari was the third-most runscorer in the 2024 Men\u2019s PM Cup. Of late, he is fourth in the list of batsmen with most runs in the second season of the NPL as well as the two seasons combined.<\/p>\n
Third loss for Bolts, first win for Avengers<\/b><\/p>\n
Except for their rivalry on the pitch, Janakpur Bolts and Pokhara Avengers were playing for their respective social cause on Thursday. As informed in their joint press meet on Wednesday, the Bolts were taking special steps to honour the sacrifices of mothers and the Avengers were intensifying their \u2018Glaciers Matter\u2019 campaign during their encounter on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Janakpur players dressed up in a special pink jersey with their mothers\u2019 names on the back, while the Avengers had \u2018Glaciers Matter\u2019 replacing their names in a special green jersey for their fixture. Still, rivals on the pitch, the two teams were playing their respective third match of the season, and both were aiming for their first win.<\/p>\n
Janakpur, as the winners of the inaugural NPL, were considered one of the favourites for the second season. However, the title defenders have hit a rock bottom after suffering their third straight defeat of the season on Thursday. Pokhara handed Janakpur their third loss, defeating the defending champions by 25 runs.<\/p>\n
The Avengers became the first team of the season to win the toss and elect to bat first, a decision which could prove costly as the bowlers were struggling in the later innings due to the dew factor. However, the decision favoured the brave.<\/p>\n
Pokhara had a decent time batting first. They had a good powerplay and were wicketless at 40 runs. Until the end of the eighth over, they were at 59\/0.<\/p>\n
However, as USA\u2019s Sanjay Krishnamurthi came to bowl his first spell of the match in the ninth over, he turned into a nightmare for Pokhara. Krishnamurthi got set Adam Rossington (24 off 17) caught out in the third ball of the over, and clean-bowled Pokhara\u2019s skipper Kushal Bhurtel for a golden duck in the very next delivery. It took no time for the Avengers to spiral to 64\/4 as Dinesh Kharel (38 off 38) and James Neesham (1 off 3) returned to the pavilion in no time. Neesham was Kirshnamurthi\u2019s third victim of the match.<\/p>\n
It was thanks to a 72-run fifth-wicket partnership between Sumeet Verma and Trit Raj Das that saw Pokhara settle down. When Das departed for 29 off 28 in 18.4 overs, Pokhara were 136\/5. Verma, on the other hand, completed his half-century in just 29 deliveries and stayed not out to take the team total to a defendable 155\/6.<\/p>\n
Thousands of Janakpur fans, who were battling against thousands of Sudurpaschim fans who waited late to cheer for their arch rivals\u2019 opponent, were hoping to see their team register their first win as the target was not massive. But that was not to be.<\/p>\n
Before reaching the 100-run mark, Janakpur had eight of their batsmen back at the dugout. NPL debutant Maaz Sadaqat (20 off 14) and Krishnamurthi (25 off 20) were the only two of the top seven Janakpur batters to score in double figures. It was thanks to another NPL debutant, the experienced left-arm pacer Wayne Parnell\u2019s batting that kept the Bolts in the game.<\/p>\n
However, Parnell left the crease after completing his maiden fifty despite a leg injury sustained while he was at 48 and the Bolts\u2019 hopes were shattered. The Bolts, who saw a couple of their players depart for some great catches from the Avengers, played all the 20 overs, but fell short of 25 runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team\u2019s mentality has taken a hit after consecutive losses,\u201d Janakpur\u2019s skipper Anil Kumar Sah said after the loss.<\/p>\n
Bipin Khatri bagged four wickets for the Avengers, while Bhurtel and Neesham picked one each. Verma, the batting allrounder from Uganda, also took two wickets, and was adjudged the Player of the Match.<\/p>\n
Chitwan Rhinos and Kathmandu Gorkhas, who are third and fourth in the points table respectively, will come face to face in the first match of Friday. It will be followed by Biratnagar Kings vs Karnali Yaks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n