126/9 (20.0)
CR : 6.30
135/7 (20.0)
CR : 6.75
Biratnagar Kings won by 9 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Sandeep Lamichhane
4/110(1)
2:59 PM IST, 3:14 PM Local Time: That's it. Biratnagar Kings have won this nail-biting encounter by 9 runs. Excellent last over from Pratis GC. A match-winning spell from spinner and skipper Sandeep Lamichhane. Kings have won their third consecutive match of the season.
The Janakpur Bolts won the toss and bowled first, and their decision paid off immediately. George Munsey tried to inject momentum with a couple of early boundaries, but Sangeeth Cooray halted him with a key breakthrough. Martin Guptill and Lokesh Bam attempted to steady the innings but neither looked comfortable, with the pitch offering little assistance to fluent strokeplay.
At the halfway stage, Biratnagar were 58/3. Basir Ahmad then decided to counter-attack with two massive sixes in the 12th over to break the stranglehold. Shubham Ranjane, meanwhile, dug in, searching for timing. In the end, they settled for 135/7.
Janakpur deserve a lot of credit. They used five spinners and two pacers. They didn't introduce any of their seamers for the first 16 overs of the first innings. The pitch was two-paced and was gripping & holding up. An absolutely perfect wicket for slow cutters. Sangeeth Cooray and Rupesh Singh picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Kings opened the bowling with their seamers; however, they soon resorted to their spin options.
Most of the Bolts' batters failed to make any significant impact except Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton. The Namibian batter, who made 41 (30), stayed there till the final over and tried very hard to ensure that his side chased down the total.
The Bolts ended up with a score of 126/9 and lost the match by 9 runs. They struggled to cope with the slow nature of the wicket and played too many dot balls in their innings.
Kings skipper Sandeep Lamichhane was the star performer as he took 4/11. He bowled a brilliant 18th over in which he took back-to-back wickets and gave away just two runs. The leggie bowled his googlies to a good effect. He is now the leading wicket-taker of this year's NPL. Apart from him, spinner Surya Tamang picked up a couple of wickets as well.
With this victory, Kings have now moved on to the top of the points table with three wins from as many games. Bolts have lost their second consecutive game and are now stranded at the second-last spot in the points table.
The Janakpur Bolts won the toss and bowled first, and their decision paid off immediately. George Munsey tried to inject momentum with a couple of early boundaries, but Sangeeth Cooray halted him with a key breakthrough. Martin Guptill and Lokesh Bam attempted to steady the innings but neither looked comfortable, with the pitch offering little assistance to fluent strokeplay.
At the halfway stage, Biratnagar were 58/3. Basir Ahmad then decided to counter-attack with two massive sixes in the 12th over to break the stranglehold. Shubham Ranjane, meanwhile, dug in, searching for timing. In the end, they settled for 135/7.
Janakpur deserve a lot of credit. They used five spinners and two pacers. They didn't introduce any of their seamers for the first 16 overs of the first innings. The pitch was two-paced and was gripping & holding up. An absolutely perfect wicket for slow cutters. Sangeeth Cooray and Rupesh Singh picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Kings opened the bowling with their seamers; however, they soon resorted to their spin options.
Most of the Bolts' batters failed to make any significant impact except Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton. The Namibian batter, who made 41 (30), stayed there till the final over and tried very hard to ensure that his side chased down the total.
The Bolts ended up with a score of 126/9 and lost the match by 9 runs. They struggled to cope with the slow nature of the wicket and played too many dot balls in their innings.
Kings skipper Sandeep Lamichhane was the star performer as he took 4/11. He bowled a brilliant 18th over in which he took back-to-back wickets and gave away just two runs. The leggie bowled his googlies to a good effect. He is now the leading wicket-taker of this year's NPL. Apart from him, spinner Surya Tamang picked up a couple of wickets as well.
With this victory, Kings have now moved on to the top of the points table with three wins from as many games. Bolts have lost their second consecutive game and are now stranded at the second-last spot in the points table.
BK won by 9 runs
Time for post match presentation.
Sandeep Lamichhane is now the leading wicket-taker of the season and is now the new 'Golden Cap' holder.
Catch of the Match: Jan Nicol Lofite-Eaton
Energetic Player of the Match: Lokesh Bam
Max Fours of the Match: Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton
Player of the Match: Sandeep Lamichhane
Sandeep Lamichhane (POTM & Biratnagar Kings Captain): "Yeah, it was the way we started upfront. The messages we were getting from the dugout. Hats off to the way we batted throughout the 20 overs. Anything over 120 on a wicket like this is always going to be a strong fight.
The left-right combination is really important. Hats off to Bashir, who hit a few sixes tonight and Ranjane also stood there. I just want to contribute for the team. This time there are a lot of bowlers but the conditions were really suiting me tonight.
Just win. That's the simple plan for all of us."
The left-right combination is really important. Hats off to Bashir, who hit a few sixes tonight and Ranjane also stood there. I just want to contribute for the team. This time there are a lot of bowlers but the conditions were really suiting me tonight.
Just win. That's the simple plan for all of us."
That's it from our coverage of the ninth game of NPL 2025. This is Mohammad Anab signing off on behalf of my colleagues Utsav Chandak, Dev Rajawat and Sahil Khan. Cheers.