Lumbini Lions, who finished bottom of the table last season, defeated Sudurpaschim Royals by six wickets to win the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025 title at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, on Saturday, December 13.
After bowling out the Royals for 85 in 19.1 overs, the Lions chased down the target in just nine overs.
Lumbini’s title run marked a dramatic turnaround. It was their sixth consecutive win of the season. They finished fourth in the league stage with 8 points to qualify for the playoffs. Last season, they managed just one win in seven league matches.
On their way to the final, Lumbini defeated Kathmandu Gorkhas in the Eliminator and Biratnagar Kings in the second qualifier.
Sudurpaschim, meanwhile, suffered a second straight NPL final defeat. They topped the league table in both seasons, winning six of seven league matches and reaching the final through Qualifier 1. They were beaten by Janakpur Bolts in last season’s final.
Chasing 86, opener Dinesh Adhikari led the charge with a blistering 42 off 13 balls. His knock included five sixes and a four. Four of those sixes came in the first over off Sudurpaschim skipper Dipendra Singh Airee.
The opening pair added 58 runs in just four overs, effectively sealing the contest. Captain Rohit Paudel scored 16 off 12 balls, hitting a six and two fours. He was caught by Airee off Abinash Bohara with the Lions needing just two runs for the victory.
Sundeep Jora was dismissed for a three-ball duck with one run still required. Opener D’Arcy Short contributed 14 off 13 balls, while Niroshan Dickwella remained unbeaten on 11 off 12. Dilip Nath hit the winning run.
For the Royals, Hemant Dhami took two wickets, while Abinash Bohara and Airee claimed one each.
Earlier, Sudurpaschim opted to bat after winning the toss. Their innings, however, never settled as wickets fell regularly from the opening over.
Opener Ishan Pandey (33 off 51) was the only batter to show resistance. The rest of the line-up failed to contribute.
Binod Bhandari was dismissed for a duck, caught by Adhikari off Ruben Trumpelmann on the final ball of the first over. Trumpelmann struck again in the third over, trapping Sheldon Jackson lbw for 1. Including the wicket of Bohara, the Namibian pacer finished with three wickets in 2.1 overs, conceding just three runs.
Aarif Sheikh scored 6 off 6 balls before being dismissed lbw by spinner Sher Malla in the fifth over.
Captain Airee attempted to steady the innings, but the collapse deepened in the 11th over when Rohit Paudel claimed a hat-trick. Airee, who made 13 off 20 balls, was caught by Trumpelmann. Dipak Bohara and Puneet Mehra fell in successive deliveries.
Sudurpaschim were 44/6 at the end of the 11th over.
Harmeet Singh scored 10 off 11 balls, while Scott Kuggeleijn made 10 off 8. Bohara was the last batter out for 1. Hemant Dhami remained unbeaten on 7 off 9 balls.
Paudel, Sher Malla and Trumpelmann picked up three wickets each. Sher Malla finished with an economy rate of 4.5. Tilak Bhandari took one wicket.
Trumpelmann was declared the player of the match.
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