120/10 (17.1)
CR : 6.99
169/4 (20.0)
CR : 8.45
Sudurpaschim Royals won by 49 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Chris Lynn
75(56)
17.1
W
P Mehra to Airee
Bowled him. That's the end of the match. Rhinos are all out for 120. They lose the game by 49 runs. Royals win their sixth game on the trot and continue their unbeaten winning streak. They have dominated this game just like they have dominated NPL 2025 so far. Coming to the ball. Tossed up. Fullish at middle-off stump. Makes room and goes for a wild slog down the ground. He was in no position to play that shot. Doesn't reach to the pitch of the ball. It grips off the surface and beats the bat to crash onto the stumps. Airee departs for 6. Mehra ji takes his third wicket.
Airee 6(5)
b P Mehra
4s/6s
1/0
SR
120.00
Over 18
Chitwan Rhinos 120/10
Kamal Singh Airee6(5)
Ranjit Kumar1(1)
Puneet Mehra3-14(2.1)
SPR won by 49 runs
7:24 PM IST, 7:39 PM Local Time: A sixth win on the trot as the unbeaten Sudurpaschim Royals beat Chitwan Rhinos by a massive margin of 49 runs. Truth be told the Rhinos were never in the chase while Puneet Mehra did the clean-up job of the tail by taking three quick wickets.
Chasing 170 for victory, the Rhinos had a big blow in the third over when Dawid Malan was run-out stunningly by Dipendra Singh Airee off his own bowling. A couple of overs later, Dipendra got into the wickets as well as Arjun Saud holed out to long-on. The Rhinos went onto end the Powerlpay at 36/3 with debutant Hikmat Mahara bouncing out Saif Zaib in the sixth over.
The Rhinos' captain, Kushal Malla also flattered to deceive as he got out in the 10th over playing an uppish drive to Dipendra at short extra-cover off Ishan Pandey's bowling. It was all left to Ravi Bopara and the veteran did threaten the Royals with a few boundaries until Abinash Bohara got rid of him in the 14th over.
The Rhinos fell like a pack of cards after that with Puneet Mehra getting two wickets in two balls which was then followed by a run-out. Rijan Dhakal was also run-out in the next over while Puneet came back to castle Kamal Singh Airee to bowl out the Rhinos for a mere 120.
Earlier in the match, Binod Bhandari and Chris Lynn put on a fine 46-run opening partnership. Bhandari did get out at the fag end of the Powerplay though as Ranjeet Kumar got the better of him. Aussie star Chris Lynn got an early reprieve as Kushal Malla spilled an easy return catch and the opener continued to struggle for timing for majority of the innings.
In the meantime, Saif Zaib struck in the 7th and 12th overs to remove Ishan Pandey and Puneet Mehra respectively. Lynn got to his fifty off 42 balls but he also lost Harmeet Singh to George Scrimshaw's bowling. The big-hitter accelerated superbly after his fifty but he had to retire hurt at the end of the 17th over due to a hamstring issue. In the end, the duo of Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee produced a good boost with their cameos to take the Royals to 169/4.
Chasing 170 for victory, the Rhinos had a big blow in the third over when Dawid Malan was run-out stunningly by Dipendra Singh Airee off his own bowling. A couple of overs later, Dipendra got into the wickets as well as Arjun Saud holed out to long-on. The Rhinos went onto end the Powerlpay at 36/3 with debutant Hikmat Mahara bouncing out Saif Zaib in the sixth over.
The Rhinos' captain, Kushal Malla also flattered to deceive as he got out in the 10th over playing an uppish drive to Dipendra at short extra-cover off Ishan Pandey's bowling. It was all left to Ravi Bopara and the veteran did threaten the Royals with a few boundaries until Abinash Bohara got rid of him in the 14th over.
The Rhinos fell like a pack of cards after that with Puneet Mehra getting two wickets in two balls which was then followed by a run-out. Rijan Dhakal was also run-out in the next over while Puneet came back to castle Kamal Singh Airee to bowl out the Rhinos for a mere 120.
Earlier in the match, Binod Bhandari and Chris Lynn put on a fine 46-run opening partnership. Bhandari did get out at the fag end of the Powerplay though as Ranjeet Kumar got the better of him. Aussie star Chris Lynn got an early reprieve as Kushal Malla spilled an easy return catch and the opener continued to struggle for timing for majority of the innings.
In the meantime, Saif Zaib struck in the 7th and 12th overs to remove Ishan Pandey and Puneet Mehra respectively. Lynn got to his fifty off 42 balls but he also lost Harmeet Singh to George Scrimshaw's bowling. The big-hitter accelerated superbly after his fifty but he had to retire hurt at the end of the 17th over due to a hamstring issue. In the end, the duo of Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee produced a good boost with their cameos to take the Royals to 169/4.
Time for post-match presentations...
Chris Lynn has been named as the 'Player of the Match'.
Chris Lynn (Player of the Match): "Finally showed up in the tournament. Wasn't the easiest of conditions but to face those many balls is good for the confidence. I will have a scan tomorrow, hopefully it comes out well. I have done a fair few hamstrings, so it was precautionary. Haven't had the luck in the tournament but tonight was different. We are having fun as a group. We don't have egos, it's a short tournament and I have told previously that the team that gels better will perform better."
Dipendra Singh Airee (Sudur Paschim Royals Captain): "I don't practice direct hits that much. It comes automatically. Really happy for the boys the way they are performing in NPL 2025. Hikmat Mahara was practising with us regularly. We thought to give him a chance today as he was bowling well in the nets. And that today, you all saw that he performed with the ball."
That's it from our live coverage of this NPL game. This is Mohammad Anab signing off on behalf of my colleagues Karthik Raj and Ashok Dayma. Cheers.