Janakpur Bolts Wins First Edition of Nepal Premier League

Janakpur Bolts clinched the title of the first edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). They defeated Sudurpaschim Royals by 5 wickets in the final, avenging their defeats in the league stage and Qualifier One.

Chasing a target of 185 runs set by Sudurpaschim, Janakpur achieved the total with 4 balls to spare, losing 5 wickets. Lahiru Milantha delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 87 runs off 49 balls, including 9 fours and 4 sixes. He built a crucial 73-run partnership for the first wicket with captain Asif Sheikh, who contributed 33 runs off 19 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes.

Harshak Thakar added an unbeaten 30 runs, while Mayank Yadav remained not out with 2 runs, hitting the winning runs. Sudurpaschim's bowlers Scott Kuggeleijn, Dipendra Singh Airee, Saif Ali Zaib, and Ishan Pandey each took one wicket.

Earlier, Sudurpaschim Royals posted 184 runs for the loss of 9 wickets after winning the toss and batting first at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Opener Saif Ali Zaib top-scored with 69 runs off 43 balls, hitting 8 fours and 2 sixes, while fellow opener Binod Bhandari contributed 41 runs off 31 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes. The openers shared a solid 117-run stand for the first wicket. However, the middle and lower-order batsmen failed to capitalize, with the team losing 5 wickets in the final two overs.

For Janakpur, Kishore Mahato and Mohammad Mohsin picked up 3 wickets each, while Lalit Rajbanshi bowled economically, conceding just 15 runs in 4 overs, including a maiden, and taking 1 wicket. Rajbanshi also ended the tournament with the most maidens (5) and shared the highest wicket-taker position with Scott Kuggeleijn, both claiming 17 wickets.

Lahiru Milantha was named the tournament's highest run-scorer, amassing 293 runs in 10 matches, including two half-centuries, with a stellar performance in the final.