Sudurpaschim secures qualifier spot with 6-wicket victory over Karnali Yaks

KATHMANDU: Sudurpaschim made it to the qualifiers of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) by defeating Karnali Yaks by 6 wickets in the final league match on Monday.

Chasing a modest target of 102 runs set by Karnali Yaks, Sudurpaschim completed the chase in 15.2 overs, losing 4 wickets in the process.

With this win, Sudurpaschim secured a spot for the first qualifier against Janakpur Bulls on Wednesday.

Captain Dipendra Singh Airee and Ishan Pandey both scored 38 runs for Sudurpaschim. While Ishan remained not out, Dipendra was dismissed by Nandan Yadav. Opener Saf Zeb contributed 11 runs.

For Karnali Yaks, captain Sompal Kami, Bipin Sharma, and Nandan Yadav took one wicket each. Earlier, Karnali Yaks, after losing the toss and being put into bat, were all out for 101 runs in the final ball of their 20-over innings.

Jishan Maksud top-scored for Karnali with 30 runs off 35 balls, including 4 boundaries. Maqsood was dismissed by Dipendra Singh Airee in the 18th over. The fifth-wicket partnership between Maksud and William Bosisto yielded 39 runs. Bosisto contributed 16 runs off 24 balls before being dismissed by Dipendra.

Chadwick Walton scored 14 runs off 16 balls before being dismissed by Saf Ali Zeb. Opener Babar Hayat contributed 13 runs off 9 balls but was dismissed in the second over after hitting two consecutive fours. He was caught out while attempting another big shot off Abhinash Bohora.

Karnali’s opening batsman Rith Gautam was dismissed without scoring, while Dev Khanal made 7 runs off 12 balls before being run out.

During the second over, Scott Kuggeleijn saved a boundary, but Naren Saud got injured while attempting to stop the ball, and Khadak Bohara replaced him in the field.

Karnali’s captain Sompal Kami scored 11 runs off 9 balls before being dismissed by Kuggeleijn, while Gulshan Jha was run out after scoring 2 runs off 2 balls.

Sudurpaschim’s bowlers performed well, with Harmit Singh taking 3 wickets, and Captain Dipendra Singh Airee and Kuggeleijn taking 2 wickets each. Saf Ali Zeb and Harmit Singh also took 1 wicket each.

Had Sudurpaschim completed the chase in 12.2 overs, Kathmandu Gurkhas would have made it to the playoffs.

However, as that didn’t happen, Kathmandu was eliminated from the competition.