Cricket Kitchen

Defending Champions Lumbini Lions Beat Janakpur Bolts by 16 Runs, Maintain Unbeaten Record

November 5, 2026

Kathmandu – Defending champions Lumbini Lions defeated Janakpur Bolts by 16 runs in today’s first match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL).

Chasing a target of 150 runs set by Lumbini, Janakpur managed to score only 133 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

For Janakpur, captain Harmeet Singh scored 33 runs, while Trit Raj Das contributed 18 runs. Aditya Mahata remained unbeaten on 30 runs. None of the other batters managed to reach double figures.

For Lumbini, D’Arcy Short was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets. Tilak Bhandari and Sher Malla took two wickets each, while Ruben Trumpelmann picked up one wicket.

Earlier, batting first after losing the toss at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Lumbini scored 149 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.

Lumbini suffered an early setback, losing opener D’Arcy Short on the first ball of the innings. The other opener, Aasif Sheikh, was dismissed for 21 runs in the 6.5th over.

Niroshan Dickwella contributed 27 runs before being dismissed in the 9.1st over. Dilip Nath scored 25 runs, while captain Rohit Paudel added 34 runs before departing in the 17.2nd over.

Shamin Hossain scored 13 runs, Sandeep Jora made nine, and Ruben Trumpelmann contributed 15 runs before being run out.

For Janakpur, Rahul Yadav and Bishal Sushling claimed two wickets each, while Lalit Rajbanshi, captain Harmeet Singh and Abhishek Tiwari picked up one wicket apiece.

With this victory, Lumbini Lions have maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament and retained their position at the top of the points table.