Sudurpaschim Royals successfully defended a decent total of 147 runs to defeat Kathmandu Gorkhas by 29 runs. Playing their opening match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur today, Sudurpaschim bowled out Kathmandu for just 118 runs in 16.5 overs.For Kathmandu, only Aakash Tripathi and John Simpson managed meaningful contributions, scoring 34 and 24 runs respectively. The rest of the batting lineup failed to make an impact despite chasing a modest target.
For Sudurpaschim, Harmit Singh delivered an impressive all-round performance, taking 2 wickets for just 21 runs in his full quota of four overs. He had earlier top-scored for his team with the only half-century of the match. Hemant Dhami and Scott Kuggeleijn also claimed two wickets apiece.For his all round performance with both bat and ball, Harmit Singh was awarded with man-of-the-match trophy.Earlier, Sudurpaschim posted 147 runs in 20 overs before being bowled out, after being invited to bat first upon losing the toss. Harmeet Singh top-scored with a blistering 53 off 20 balls, while captain Dipendra Singh Airee added a measured 39 off 30 deliveries. Aasif Sheikh contributed 25 runs, and Ishan Pandey chipped in with 11.For Kathmandu Gorkhas, Karan KC was the standout bowler, taking four wickets. Sunny Patel, Milind Kumar, and Rashid Khan picked up two wickets each.The result marks Sudurpaschim’s first victory of the tournament, while Kathmandu-who defeated defending champions Janakpur Bolts by five wickets in the inaugural match-suffered their first loss.
