Kathmandu: Biratnagar Kings and Karnali Yaks clinched impressive victories in their respective matches today in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025, strengthening their positions in the early standings.

Biratnagar Kings Beat Kathmandu Gorkhas by 5 Wickets
Biratnagar Kings continued their winning streak with a second consecutive triumph, defeating Kathmandu Gorkhas by five wickets under the lights at TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

Chasing a target of 136 runs, Biratnagar reached 137/5 in 17.1 overs.

George Munsey led the charge with a quickfire 36 off 16 balls, supported by contributions from Martin Guptill (25), Naren Bhatta (24), Bashir Ahmed (19), and Lokesh Bam (14).

For Kathmandu, Shahab Alam claimed two wickets while Karan KC, Gerhard Erasmus and Santosh Yadav took one wicket each.

Batting first, Kathmandu posted 135/6 in 20 overs. Mohammad Adil Alam top-scored with an unbeaten 48, while Ben Charlesworth scored 32 and Santosh Yadav added 26.

Biratnagar’s Marchant de Lange impressed with two wickets and was named Player of the Match. Sandeep Lamichhane, Shubham Ranjane and Surya Tamang picked up one wicket each.

With this win, Biratnagar climbed to second place with 4 points from two matches, behind Sudurpaschim on net run rate. Kathmandu, with two losses in three matches, remain third with 2 points.

Karnali Yaks Thrash Lumbini Lions by 9 Wickets
In the earlier match, Karnali Yaks secured their first win of the season after a sensational run chase powered by an extraordinary century from opener Mark Watt.

Chasing 157, Karnali posted 159/1 in just 12.2 overs. Watt produced the first century of NPL 2025, smashing 144 off 44 balls, including 12 sixes and 6 fours, at a staggering strike rate of 259.09.

He dominated the innings, hitting four sixes in the 10th over and finishing the chase with back-to-back maximums.

William Bosisto supported him with 29 off 20 balls, while Priyank Panchal added 12. Sher Malla took the only wicket for Lumbini.

Earlier, Lumbini Lions scored 156/8. Captain Rohit Paudel top-scored with 49 off 43 balls, while JJ Smit (23 off 14) and Ruben Trumpelmann (29 off 14) contributed valuable late runs.

For Karnali, Nandan Yadav picked up two wickets, while Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Bipin Sharma, Yubaraj Khatri and Mark Watt bagged one each.

Karnali now have 2 points from two matches, while Lumbini also stand at 2 points.

Upcoming Matches
Sunday will be a rest day.

On Monday:
-Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts (first match)
-Karnali Yaks vs Sudurpaschim Royals (day-night match)

The tournament continues to build momentum with strong performances and rising competition among the franchise teams.