Binod Bhandari’s half-century helped Sudurpaschim Royals defeat Janakpur Bolts by 8 wickets and reach the final of the Nepal Premier League (NPL).
Opening batter Binod scored an unbeaten 58 runs as Sudurpaschim Royals chased down Janakpur’s target of 140 runs in 18.3 overs, losing 2 wickets.
Binod played 55 balls, hitting 3 fours and 3 sixes. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee remained unbeaten on 20 runs, hitting 1 four and 1 six in 16 balls, and won the match with a boundary.
Janakpur’s Lalit Rajbanshi and Kishore Mahato each took 1 wicket.
Earlier, Janakpur, after winning the toss and batting first, made 139 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Jimmy Neesham was the top scorer for Janakpur with 45 runs from 23 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes. Shubh Kansakar added 26 runs off 24 balls, but the other players couldn’t contribute much.
For Sudurpashchim, Captain Dipendra Singh Airee took 3 wickets, and Saif Ali Jeb took 2 wickets. Scott Kuggeleijn and Abinash Bohara each took 1 wicket.
This was Sudurpaschim Royals’s second win over Janakpur. Even though Janakpur lost this match, they will have another chance to reach the final. They will play the winner of the Eliminator match, Karnali Yaks, in Qualifier 2 on Thursday.
