Cricket Kitchen

Top Contenders for the MVP Car Prize Ahead of the NPL 2 Final

December 12, 2025

The Nepal Premier League Season 2 title will be contested on Saturday between Sudurpaschim Royals and Lumbini Lions. With only the final match remaining, in the bowling department, Sandeep Lamichhane leads with 17 wickets, followed closely by Abhinas Bohora with 16 wickets. Similarly, in the list of top run-scorers, Adam Risongton holds the first position with 323 runs, followed by Nepali batsmen Binod Bhandari and Rohit Paudel. Binod has scored 264 runs, while Rohit Paudel has scored 260 runs. Compared to the previous season, Nepali players have performed well in this second season, and we are going to discuss here which players are in the race to win the car.

• Binod Bhandari:

Binod Bhandari, who has played a crucial role in every win for Sudurpaschim, is one of the players with a chance to win the car. He has scored 264 runs from the 8 matches played so far. He has batted at an average of 38. His strike rate is 111. As the top run-scorer among Nepali batsmen, Bhandari has also done an excellent job in wicket-keeping. He has made 3 stumpings and taken 7 catches in 8 matches behind the stumps. He has formed partnerships of over 50 runs three times with various players and one century partnership. Having guided Sudurpaschim to the final with his batting and wicket-keeping, if Binod maintains his current form in the final, he could become the player to win the car.

• Rohit Paudel:

Rohit Paudel, the captain who successfully led Lumbini Lions to the final after losing 3 out of the first 4 league matches, is another player who could win the car. With 260 runs from batting, Rohit has also taken 7 wickets in just 4 matches where he bowled. Rohit has taken 6 catches in the 9 matches played this season. His weaknesses include bowling at an economy rate above 9 and batting at a strike rate below 100, but he has been declared Player of the Match in two games. The way he has guided Lumbini to the final also puts Rohit Paudel ahead in the race for the car due to his captaincy. If Lumbini wins under Rohit Paudel’s captaincy in the final, he will undoubtedly win the car.

• Sandeep Lamichhane:

Biratnagar Kings’ captain Sandeep Lamichhane is another player with a chance to win the car. Leading the list of highest wicket-takers before the final, Sandeep has bowled at an economy rate below 5. Guiding Biratnagar Kings to the second qualifier, bowling at the lowest economy, and taking 17 wickets in the tournament make his name somewhat prominent in the discussion for the car-winning player.

• Dipendra Singh Airee:

Dipendra Singh Airee, who became the Most Valuable Player in the first season of the Nepal Premier League and won the car, is a player with a high chance of winning the car again this time. For Sudurpaschim, Airee has scored 149 runs at a strike rate of 145 and an average of 30 in 7 batting innings. He has taken 8 wickets in 8 matches bowled this season. As the captain who has led his team to the final in both seasons of the Nepal Premier League history, Airee is at the forefront of the list to win the car for this reason. He has proven himself in every area as a fielder, captain, bowler, and batsman on the field. Dipendra has taken 10 catches in 8 matches. Having established himself as the most successful captain, he ranks second as the most successful fielder overall. Among Nepali fielders, he is in first place. If Sudurpaschim wins the title and Dipendra takes a few wickets and scores 30-35 runs in the final, he will be the top contender on the list to win the car without question and could win it for the second consecutive time.

Besides the four players mentioned above, Biratnagar Kings’ all-rounder Basir Ahmad and Lumbini Lions’ Sher Malla also have possibilities. Basir Ahmad’s chances seem a bit weaker, but Sher Malla’s performance in the final could make him a contender for the car.