T20-LEAGUE

LUL vs SPR NPL 2026 Match 1: Lumbini Win by 7 Wickets

Published on October 27, 2026

Summary Overview: Lumbini Lions beat Sudurpaschim Royals by 7 wickets in the NPL 2026 opener at Kirtipur. Kishor Mahato took 4 for 14 and Player of the Match Sher Malla 3 for 11 as the Royals were all out for 87, then D'Arcy Short hit 40 off 18.

Who won? Lumbini Lions, by 7 wickets with 61 balls to spare. Sudurpaschim Royals were bowled out for 87 in 17.2 overs, and Lumbini reached 88 for 3 in just 9.5 overs at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

Who starred? Sher Malla took 3 for 11 in four overs and was named Player of the Match. Kishor Mahato took 4 for 14 on his T20 debut, and D'Arcy Short smashed 40 off 18 balls.

Why does it matter? This was a rematch of last season's final, which Lumbini won after bowling Sudurpaschim out for 85. This time the Royals made 87, and the result was the same.

What's next? Lumbini play Chitwan Rhinos on Saturday, October 31. Sudurpaschim face Pokhara Avengers on Wednesday, October 28.

Match Report: The Champions Pick Up Where They Left Off

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). A team wins by wickets when it chases down the target; "7 wickets" means Lumbini lost only three of their ten wickets.

Sudurpaschim's Innings: Four Wickets for 10 Runs

Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel won the toss and chose to bowl. Saif Zaib (13) and Binod Bhandari (9) started brightly, reaching 24 without loss in the fourth over.

Then the innings fell apart. Sher Malla trapped Bhandari lbw, and Kishor Mahato struck twice in three balls, removing Aarif Sheikh and bowling Brandon McMullen. When Shadley van Schalkwyk had Zaib caught by Malla, Sudurpaschim had lost four wickets for 10 runs and were 34 for 4.

Captain Dipendra Singh Airee fought with 27 off 23, but wickets kept falling around him. Malla removed Sherfane Rutherford and Scott Kuggeleijn in the same over, and Mahato bowled Airee and Hemant Dhami with consecutive balls. At 70 for 9 in the 13th over, the Royals were in danger of a much lower total.

Anil Kharel (15 not out off 26) helped add 17 for the last wicket before Paudel bowled Abinash Bohara to end the innings at 87.

Lumbini's Chase: Short and Sweet

D'Arcy Short and Aasif Sheikh made sure there would be no drama. They put on 71 in just 6.2 overs, with Short hitting four fours and three sixes in 40 off 18 balls.

Kharel, on his T20 debut, removed both openers, and Airee bowled Niroshan Dickwella, but it was far too late. Paudel and Shamim Hossain finished the job inside 10 overs.

Turning Point: Mahato's Double Strike

At 24 for 0, Sudurpaschim had a good start. In the space of ten balls, Malla and Mahato took three wickets, and the Royals never recovered. Mahato's figures of 4 for 14 on debut, alongside Malla's 3 for 11, meant the champions' two Nepali bowlers took seven of the ten wickets.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Sher Malla	Lumbini Lions	3 for 11 (4 overs), Player of the Match
Kishor Mahato	Lumbini Lions	4 for 14 (4 overs), T20 debut
D'Arcy Short	Lumbini Lions	40 (18), 4 fours, 3 sixes
Aasif Sheikh	Lumbini Lions	32 (25), 2 fours, 2 sixes
Tilak Bhandari	Lumbini Lions	1 for 18 (4 overs), T20 debut
Dipendra Singh Airee (c)	Sudurpaschim Royals	27 (23), and 1 for 31
Anil Kharel	Sudurpaschim Royals	15* (26), and 2 for 9 (2 overs), T20 debut

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Good start	Sudurpaschim 24 for 0 (3 overs)
Four wickets for 10 runs	24 for 0 to 34 for 4
Malla's double strike	53 for 5 to 56 for 7
Mahato's back-to-back wickets	70 for 7 to 70 for 9
Sudurpaschim all out	87 (17.2 overs)
Short and Aasif stand	71 off 38 balls for the 1st wicket
Lumbini win	88 for 3 (9.5 overs)

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
Lumbini Lions	D'Arcy Short, Aasif Sheikh, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Shamim Hossain, Rohit Paudel (c), Sundeep Jora, Dilip Nath, Tilak Bhandari, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Kishor Mahato, Sher Malla
Sudurpaschim Royals	Saif Zaib, Binod Bhandari (wk), Aarif Sheikh, Brandon McMullen, Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Ishan Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Scott Kuggeleijn, Anil Kharel, Hemant Dhami, Abinash Bohara

Overseas players: Lumbini fielded D'Arcy Short, Niroshan Dickwella, Shamim Hossain and USA's Shadley van Schalkwyk. Sudurpaschim fielded Saif Zaib, Brandon McMullen, Sherfane Rutherford and Scott Kuggeleijn. Ruben Trumpelmann missed out for Lumbini while on international duty with Namibia.

NPL 2026 Table After Match 1

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points	Net Run Rate
Lumbini Lions	1	1	0	2	+4.599
Sudurpaschim Royals	1	0	1	0	-4.599
Biratnagar Kings	0	0	0	0
Chitwan Rhinos	0	0	0	0
Janakpur Bolts	0	0	0	0
Karnali Yaks	0	0	0	0
Kathmandu Gurkhas	0	0	0	0
Pokhara Avengers	0	0	0	0

Net run rate compares how fast a team scores with how fast its opponents score. A team that is bowled out is counted as having faced its full 20 overs.

What's Next

Match	Date	Fixture	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	ET
2nd Match	Tue, Oct 27	Biratnagar Kings vs Chitwan Rhinos	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	2:45 AM
3rd Match	Tue, Oct 27	Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	7:15 AM
4th Match	Wed, Oct 28	Pokhara Avengers vs Sudurpaschim Royals	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	7:15 AM
7th Match	Sat, Oct 31	Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	2:45 AM

All matches at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. NPT is Nepal Time (UTC+5:45). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). ET is US Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). In Pakistan, 12:30 PM games start at 11:45 AM and 5:00 PM games at 4:15 PM.