Cricket Kitchen

Nepal Premier League: Biratnagar Opts to Bowl First After Winning the Toss Against Sudurpaschim

December 9, 2025

Kathmandu — In the first qualifier of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), Biratnagar Kings won the toss and chose to bowl first against Sudurpaschim Royals.

 

The match will begin at 4 PM at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Having performed brilliantly in the league stage, Sudurpaschim aims to reach the final for the second consecutive time. The winner of today’s match will directly enter the final, while the losing team will play the second qualifier against the winner of the Eliminator between Lumbini Lions and Kathmandu Gurkhas.

 

Despite losing momentum midway, Biratnagar recovered strongly in their last league match and enters the playoffs as another strong contender.

 

This match is considered one of the high-voltage encounters of the tournament, with both sides led by national team stars—Sudurpaschim by Dipendra Singh Airee and Biratnagar by Sandeep Lamichhane. Just three days ago, Biratnagar defeated Sudurpaschim by 6 wickets.

 

Like the previous edition, Sudurpaschim has once again topped the points table to enter the playoffs.

 

Sudurpaschim remained unbeaten in their first six matches but faced defeat against Biratnagar in the final league match. Except for that one game, Sudurpaschim performed strongly in all departments—batting, bowling, and fielding.

 

Vinod Bhandari and Chris Lynn handled the opening order, while Dipendra Singh Airee, Ishan Pandey, Arif Sheikh, and Harmit Singh strengthened the middle and lower order.

 

In addition, the all-round performances of Dipendra, Scott Kuggeleijn, and Harmit have been Sudurpaschim’s major strengths. Chris Lynn and Josh Brown will not be available for the playoffs; they will be replaced by American batter Mukhtar Ahmed and Indian batter Sheldon Jackson.

 

Not only the foreign players but also Sudurpaschim’s domestic players have performed impressively. Players from this team feature among the top five in both highest runs scored and highest wickets taken.

 

After a poor showing in the first edition, Biratnagar appears much stronger this season. They invested heavily in foreign players—signing South African superstar Faf du Plessis, along with Martin Guptill, Merchant de Lange, and Sam Hain, forming a formidable squad.

 

They are well supported by Basir Ahmed and Lokesh Bam. In bowling, captain Sandeep Lamichhane leads the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, with de Lange closely behind.

 

With Shubham Ranjane and George Munsey back, Biratnagar will need solid contributions from its domestic middle-order batters. Although they won their first three matches, they struggled in the middle of the league phase. However, in the final league match, they not only ended Sudurpaschim’s unbeaten run but did so with a dominant victory.

 

In the NPL so far, Sudurpaschim and Biratnagar have faced each other twice—each winning one match. Sudurpaschim had secured a massive 90-run victory in the previous edition, while Biratnagar earned a comfortable 6-wicket win in this season’s match last Saturday.

 

Sudurpaschim finished the league stage with 6 wins and 1 loss from 7 matches, while Biratnagar had 5 wins and 2 losses.