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Lumbini Lions Beat Sudurpaschim by 7 Wickets in NPL Opener

The defending champions bowled Sudurpaschim Royals out for 87 at Kirtipur and chased the target in 9.5 overs, with D'Arcy Short hitting 40 off 18 balls and Sher Malla named player of the match.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Lumbini Lions Beat Sudurpaschim by 7 Wickets in NPL Opener

Key points

  • KIRTIPUR.
  • Lumbini won the toss and chose to field.
  • D'Arcy Short settled the chase in the first overs.

KIRTIPUR. Lumbini Lions opened the third season of the Nepal Premier League with a seven wicket win over Sudurpaschim Royals at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Monday, October 26, 2026. The defending champions bowled the Royals out for 87 in 17.2 overs and reached 88 for 3 in 9.5 overs, finishing the chase with 61 balls to spare.

The innings that decided it

Lumbini won the toss and chose to field. Sudurpaschim never settled. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee top scored with 27 off 23 balls and Saif Zaib added 13, but no other batter reached a score that could hold the innings together. Kishore Mahato took 4 wickets for 28 runs and Sher Malla took 3 for 11 in four overs. Shadley van Schalkwyk, Tilak Bhandari and Rohit Paudel took one wicket each. Malla was named player of the match for his spell.

A short chase

D'Arcy Short settled the chase in the first overs. The Australian opener scored 40 off 18 balls, with four fours and three sixes. Aasif Sheikh scored 32 off 25 balls at the other end. Anil Kharel took 2 wickets for 9 runs for the Royals and Airee took one, but the target was too small to defend. Paudel hit the winning boundary.

What the opener means

The match was a repeat of last season's final, which Lumbini also won against Sudurpaschim. This season is the first in the league with official ICC T20 status, and the first to use the Decision Review System. Prime Minister Balendra Shah inaugurated the tournament before play. The season runs at Kirtipur until the final on November 21, 2026, with eight teams. Two matches follow on Tuesday, October 27: Biratnagar Kings play Chitwan Rhinos at 12:30 p.m. and Janakpur Bolts play Karnali Yaks at 5:00 p.m.

Three players made their T20 debuts in the match, Tilak Bhandari and Kishor Mahato for Lumbini and Anil Kharel for Sudurpaschim, and Buddhi Pradhan and Masudur Rahman umpired the opener. The Royals have now lost the final of last season and the opener of this one to the same opponent, and they play again on Wednesday, October 28, against Pokhara Avengers at the same ground. Lumbini's next match is on Saturday, October 31, against Chitwan Rhinos.

Timeline

  1. Oct 26, 2026Lumbini Lions bowl Sudurpaschim Royals out for 87 in 17.2 overs and chase 88 for 3 in 9.5 overs to win the Season 3 opener by seven wickets at Kirtipur.
  2. Oct 27, 2026Two matches at Kirtipur: Biratnagar Kings against Chitwan Rhinos at 12:30 p.m. and Janakpur Bolts against Karnali Yaks at 5:00 p.m.
  3. Nov 21, 2026The Season 3 final is played at Kirtipur, closing the eight team tournament.

Sources