KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 5
Lumbini Lions defeated the Janakpur Bolts by four wickets to secure a place in the playoffs of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025.
Chasing a modest target of 133 runs, Lumbini reached the total in 19.1 overs with six wickets down. Captain Rohit Paudel top-scored with 34 off 32 balls, followed by D'Arcy Short with 30 off 24, while JJ Smit contributed a valuable 21 off 19.
For Janakpur, Sangeeth Cooray impressed with the ball, claiming three wickets. Mayan Yadav and Sanjay Krishnamurti chipped in with two and one wicket respectively.
Earlier, opting to bat first after winning the toss, Janakpur posted only 132 runs in their allotted 20 overs for the loss of six wickets. Cooray anchored the innings with 45 off 38, while Yadav added 27 off 23. Aasif Sheikh scored 20 off 17.
For Lumbini, player-of-the-match Rohit Paudel and Sher Malla took two wickets apiece, with JJ Smit and Ruben Trumpelmann adding one wicket each.
With today's victory, Lumbini climbed to fourth place with eight points from seven matches. Janakpur, meanwhile, are out of contention for the next round, having suffered five losses in six matches and securing only two points.
Sudurpaschim Royals, Kathmandu Gorkhas, and Biratnagar Kings are the other three teams to have qualified for the playoffs.
Three group-stage matches remain before the qualifiers begin on Tuesday. Tomorrow, Biratnagar Kings face Sudurpaschim Royals in the first match, followed by Chitwan Rhinos taking on Pokhara Avengers in the second.
The final group-stage fixture will see Janakpur Bolts play Karnali Yaks on Sunday.
