KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 11
Magical spells from speedster Ruben Trumpelmann and Sher Malla propelled Lumbini Lions to a convincing 40-run victory over Biratnagar Kings, securing their place in the final of the Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League.
Chasing a modest 135 for victory, Biratnagar Kings were bundled out for 94 in the second qualifier under the lights at the TU Cricket Ground on a chilly evening.
Trumpelmann removed in-form Martin Guptill and Lokesh Bam cheaply in a fiery opening burst, before Sher Malla cleaned up Faf du Plessis to leave the Kings reeling at 6 for 3 inside two overs.
"It was a chaseable score, but our batters need to raise their hands and take responsibility," Kings coach Dhamika Prasad said after the match. "It's always difficult to recover after losing three top-order wickets in the powerplay, but the target was gettable."
Sam Heazlett played a lone fighting knock of 34 off 28 balls, striking two fours and two sixes, but wickets kept tumbling around him. Tilak Bhandari ripped through the middle order with three scalps to earn the Player of the Match award, while Abhishesh Gautam and JJ Smit shared four wickets between them.
Put into bat earlier, Lumbini lost their out-of-form opener Dinesh Adhikari cheaply, bringing captain Rohit Paudel to the crease. Paudel and D'Arcy Short steadied the innings with a 69-run stand for the first wicket. Short top-scored with 45, while Paudel added a composed 34 off 30 with two fours and two sixes.
The Kings' bowlers clawed back strongly, taking four wickets for just 27 runs. With wickets in hand, Lumbini seemed on track for a competitive total, but once Niroshan Dickwella fell, none of the middle-order batters managed to reach double figures.
"We came into the game with nothing to lose. We gave it everything, and I'm very pleased to reach the final," said Lions top order batsman D'Archy Short after the match.
For the Kings, Subash Bhandari and Pratis GC picked up three wickets each, while Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two.
Lumbini Lions will now take on Sudurpaschim Royals in the NPL final under the lights at the TU Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
