Lumbini Lions secured an important victory in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 2, defeating Biratnagar Kings by 5 wickets on Wednesday and boosting their chances of reaching the playoffs.
Chasing a target of 145 runs set by Biratnagar, Lumbini completed the chase in 17.4 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Opener D’Arcy Short was the star of the innings, scoring a half-century with 57 runs off 44 balls.
Among the other batters, Sandeep Jora contributed 24 runs, Niroshan Dickwella remained unbeaten on 29, and Dilip Nath added 16 runs. Captain Rohit Paudel was dismissed for a duck.
For Biratnagar, captain Sandeep Lamichhane and Subas Bhandari took 2 wickets each, while Basir Ahmed claimed 1 wicket.
Earlier, after losing the toss and being invited to bat first at the Tribhuvan University (TU) Cricket Ground, Biratnagar Kings made 144 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs.
Lokesh Bam top-scored for Biratnagar with 35 runs. Sam Hain scored 27, and Basir Ahmed added 28 runs. Star players George Munsey fell for a duck and Faf du Plessis was dismissed for 12. Captain Lamichhane remained not out on 6.
Lumbini’s innings-destroying spell came from spinner Sher Malla, who bowled brilliantly, taking 3 crucial wickets while conceding just 25 runs in 4 overs. JJ Smit, Abhishek Gautam, and Ruben Trumpelmann took one wicket each.
With this win, Lumbini Lions have climbed to fourth place on the points table with 6 points from 6 matches. However, Biratnagar Kings remain in third place with 8 points from their 6 matches.
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