Lumbini Lions clinch NPL Season 2 title (photos)

KATHMANDU: Lumbini Lions have been crowned champions of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 2 after a commanding six-wicket victory over Sudurpaschim Royals in the final at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Saturday.

After winning the toss, Sudurpaschim opted to bat first but collapsed spectacularly, getting bowled out for just 85 runs in 19.1 overs.

Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a sensational hat-trick, triggering the batting collapse.

It marked the first time Sudurpaschim failed to cross the 100-run mark in the NPL and stands as the lowest total ever recorded by a team batting first in the league’s history.

Chasing a modest target, Lumbini made light work of the task, reaching the target in just nine overs in a one-sided final.

Dinesh Adhikari set the tone in emphatic fashion, smashing four sixes in the very first over against Sudurpaschim skipper Dipendra Singh Airee as Lumbini raced to 27 runs.

Dinesh and D’Arcy Short added a rapid 58 runs in four overs to give Lumbini a flying start. Short scored 14 off 13 balls with three fours before being dismissed by Hemanta Dhami, who struck again in the same over to remove Dinesh.

Dinesh played a blistering knock of 42 off just 13 balls, hitting five sixes and one four.

Rohit Paudel contributed 16 runs off 12 balls with two fours and a six before getting out.

Niroshan Dickwella remained unbeaten on 11, while Sandeep Jora was dismissed for a duck.

This triumph marks Lumbini Lions’ first-ever NPL title. The team sealed the championship by winning six matches in a row, equalling Sudurpaschim’s record of six consecutive wins at the start of the season.

Sudurpaschim, meanwhile, suffered heartbreak for the second straight year, having also lost last season’s final to Janakpur Bolts.

Lumbini had qualified for the playoffs by winning their final three league-stage matches.

They then defeated Kathmandu Gorkhas in the Eliminator, overcame Biratnagar Kings in Qualifier 2, and capped their remarkable turnaround with a dominant performance in the final.

The victory was particularly sweet for Lumbini, who had lost to Sudurpaschim in the league stage this season and finished at the bottom of the table last year with six defeats in seven matches.

This season’s title win marked a dramatic rise and a memorable chapter in NPL history.

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