Kathmandu: Sudurpaschim Royals defeated Pokhara Avengers by 18 runs in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025 match held this evening.

After setting a strong target of 193 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs, Sudurpaschim successfully defended the total, restricting Pokhara to 175 runs for 8 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Pokhara’s chase saw only three players reach double figures—captain Kushal Burtel with 53 off 32 balls, James Neesham with 47 off 25, and Dan Southwaite with 37 off 16. Despite their efforts, regular fall of wickets kept Pokhara behind the required run rate.

For Sudurpaschim, Harmeet Singh picked up 2 wickets, while five other bowlers took one wicket each.

Earlier, put into bat in the day-night fixture at TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Sudurpaschim posted a strong total. Opener Josh Brown top-scored with a brilliant 68 off 35 balls, striking 6 fours and 3 sixes. His partner Binod Bhandari added 43 off 42 balls, while Chris Lynn and captain Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 31 and 15 runs respectively.

For Pokhara, James Neesham was the standout bowler with 3 wickets, as Aakash Chand and Dan Douthwaite claimed 2 wickets each.
This was the second match for both teams in the NPL 2025 season. With the win, Sudurpaschim now have 4 points from two matches, while Pokhara remain without points after back-to-back losses.

Two matches are scheduled for Saturday: Karnali Yaks vs Lumbini Lions at 11:15 am, followed by Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Biratnagar Kings at 4:00 pm.