112/6 (17.4)
CR : 6.34
111/10 (19.1)
CR : 5.79
Lumbini Lions won by 4 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Sher Malla
3/22
17.4
4
K KC to R Trumpelmann
FOUR! DONE AND DUSTED! Short of a length and outside off. Ruben presses back, picks it up, and pulls it to the right of long on for a boundary to seal the deal. THE LUMBINI LIONS HAVE DEFEATED THE KATHMANDU GORKHAS BY FOUR WICKETS TO ADVANCE TO QUALIFIER 2!!!
Over 18
Lumbini Lions 112/6
Ruben Trumpelmann5(2)
JJ Smit0(1)
Karan KC1-16(1.4)
LBL won by 4 wickets
6:57 PM IST, 7:12 PM Local Time: A low-scoring contest, but the Lumbini Lions held their nerve to advance to Qualifier 2. The surface was extremely difficult for batting, and the Gorkhas’ 111 proved slightly below par, though they fought bravely to stretch the game into the 18th over. Lumbini Lions will now meet Biratnagar Kings in Qualifier 2 for a spot in the summit clash, while Kathmandu Gorkhas bow out of the tournament with this defeat.
Kathmandu Gorkhas endured a nightmare start after opting to bat, slipping to 14/4 inside the powerplay as Ruben Trumpelmann and Sher Malla ran riot with the new ball. Bhim Sharki (14) and John Simpson (18) offered brief resistance, but skipper Rohit Paudel struck twice in the same over to remove both set batters. With the surface offering plenty of help for spin, Paudel made full use of it, finishing with three wickets.
Mohammad Aadil Alam injected some momentum with a quick 18 but couldn’t stay long. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, though Santosh Yadav’s gritty 23 under pressure gave the innings a late push. The Gorkhas eventually folded for 111 in the final over.
Sher Malla (3/22) and Rohit Paudel (3/25) shared 6 wickets between them, while Ruben Trumpelmann and Abhishesh Gautam chipped in with two and one wickets, respectively. In reply, the Lions lost Dinesh Adhikari for just 4 in the third over, with Sunny Patel providing the first breakthrough for the Gorkhas.
D’Arcy Short and Rohit Paudel focused on rotating the strike, with the skipper putting away the loose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, Paudel couldn’t carry on for long and departed for 18 while attempting a big slog-sweep. At the halfway mark, the scoreboard read 49/2, with the Gorkhas’ hopes still alive in this contest. D’Arcy Short looked scratchy but broke the shackles with a clean six. Unfortunately, poor umpiring on the very next ball cost him his wicket. The ball clearly came off his left shoulder, yet the umpire raised his finger, ending the southpaw’s innings on 33 off 34.
Sundeep Jora played a handy run-a-ball 23 but couldn’t stay till the end, falling to Santosh Yadav in the 17th over. Niroshan Dickwella (14) and Dilip Nath (7) departed in quick succession, but by then the equation had been reduced to just six runs. Eventually, Trumpelmann finished off the game with a boundary with 14 balls to spare.
Gorkhas needed wickets in clusters up front to put pressure on the Lions, but they failed to do so. Santosh Yadav shone with the ball for the Gorkhas, claiming two wickets, while Karan KC, Sunny Patel, Shahab Alam, and Rashid Khan chipped in with one each.
Stay tuned for the presentation......
Kathmandu Gorkhas endured a nightmare start after opting to bat, slipping to 14/4 inside the powerplay as Ruben Trumpelmann and Sher Malla ran riot with the new ball. Bhim Sharki (14) and John Simpson (18) offered brief resistance, but skipper Rohit Paudel struck twice in the same over to remove both set batters. With the surface offering plenty of help for spin, Paudel made full use of it, finishing with three wickets.
Mohammad Aadil Alam injected some momentum with a quick 18 but couldn’t stay long. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, though Santosh Yadav’s gritty 23 under pressure gave the innings a late push. The Gorkhas eventually folded for 111 in the final over.
Sher Malla (3/22) and Rohit Paudel (3/25) shared 6 wickets between them, while Ruben Trumpelmann and Abhishesh Gautam chipped in with two and one wickets, respectively. In reply, the Lions lost Dinesh Adhikari for just 4 in the third over, with Sunny Patel providing the first breakthrough for the Gorkhas.
D’Arcy Short and Rohit Paudel focused on rotating the strike, with the skipper putting away the loose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, Paudel couldn’t carry on for long and departed for 18 while attempting a big slog-sweep. At the halfway mark, the scoreboard read 49/2, with the Gorkhas’ hopes still alive in this contest. D’Arcy Short looked scratchy but broke the shackles with a clean six. Unfortunately, poor umpiring on the very next ball cost him his wicket. The ball clearly came off his left shoulder, yet the umpire raised his finger, ending the southpaw’s innings on 33 off 34.
Sundeep Jora played a handy run-a-ball 23 but couldn’t stay till the end, falling to Santosh Yadav in the 17th over. Niroshan Dickwella (14) and Dilip Nath (7) departed in quick succession, but by then the equation had been reduced to just six runs. Eventually, Trumpelmann finished off the game with a boundary with 14 balls to spare.
Gorkhas needed wickets in clusters up front to put pressure on the Lions, but they failed to do so. Santosh Yadav shone with the ball for the Gorkhas, claiming two wickets, while Karan KC, Sunny Patel, Shahab Alam, and Rashid Khan chipped in with one each.
Stay tuned for the presentation......
Time for the post-match presentation....
Player of the Match: Sher Malla
Sher Malla (Player of the Match): "I’m really happy to have taken three wickets. More than that, helping the team reach the next round makes it an even better match for us. There wasn’t much pressure - we were taking it game by game and carrying the momentum forward. That made things easier for everyone. In the end, it was a complete team effort."
Rohit Paudel (Lumbini Lions Captain): "Yeah, pretty happy with the way we peaked in the tournament, especially in the last three league games and today's Eliminator. As a team, we are playing good, competitive cricket. We were very confident, and the bowlers performed really well. Nothing much—just keeping it simple and continuing to do what we’ve been doing in the last few games."
That’s all from a low-scoring Eliminator, folks! Lumbini Lions came out on top, winning by four wickets with 14 balls to spare, and advance to Qualifier 2, where they will face Biratnagar Kings for a place in the grand finale. On the flip side, Kathmandu Gorkhas have been eliminated from the tournament with this loss. For now, it’s me, Deepak Prakash, taking your leave on behalf of co-commentator Dev Rajawat and scorer/analyst Bishal Mandal. CHEERS!