Kathmandu: Lumbini Lions have secured their place in the final of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) T20 cricket tournament after a commanding 40-run victory over Biratnagar Kings in the second qualifier. This marks Lumbini’s first-ever appearance in the NPL final.

Biratnagar Fall Short in Run Chase
Chasing a target of 135 runs, Biratnagar Kings were bowled out for just 94 runs in 17 overs.

Sam Hazlett top-scored with 34 runs, while Naren Bhatta contributed 21 runs. However, no other batter managed to build momentum against Lumbini’s disciplined bowling attack.

Tilak Bhandari was the standout performer with the ball, taking 3 wickets. Jay Smith, Abhishek Gautam and Ruben Trumpelmann supported him with 2 wickets each, dismantling Biratnagar’s batting lineup.

Lumbini Set Competitive Total After Losing Toss
Earlier, put into bat, Lumbini Lions posted 134 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.

D’Arcy Short anchored the innings with 45 runs, while captain Rohit Paudel added 34 and Niroshan Dickwella chipped in with 29 runs.

For Biratnagar, Subash Bhandari and Pratish GC each claimed 3 wickets, while Sandeep Lamichhane took 2 wickets.

Final Set for Saturday
Lumbini will now face Sudurpaschim Royals in the title clash on Saturday. While Lumbini enter the final for the first time, Sudurpaschim will be appearing in their second consecutive final.

Lumbini’s impressive run continues, having won their last five matches. They had earlier advanced to the second qualifier by defeating Kathmandu Gorkhas by 4 wickets in the eliminator.

Biratnagar, meanwhile, had another chance to reach the final after losing to Sudurpaschim in Qualifier 1 but fell short once again.