Lumbini Beat Sudurpaschim by 7 Wickets in NPL Opener

The defending champions made their first statement of Season 3 in just 59 balls. Lumbini Lions bowled Sudurpaschim Royals out for 87 and chased the target down with 61 balls to spare, winning the NPL opener by seven wickets at TU Ground, Kirtipur, on Monday, 26 October 2026. D’Arcy Short’s 40 off 18 broke the back of the chase, while Kishor Mahato’s four wickets and Sher Malla’s three had already broken the Royals’ innings. It was a rematch of last season’s final — and this time, like the final, it went the champions’ way.

Royals bowled out for 87 after being sent in

Lumbini won the toss and sent Sudurpaschim in, and the decision paid off within the first few overs. The Royals never found a partnership of substance, and their innings closed at 87 all out in 17.2 overs. Kishor Mahato led the bowling with four wickets for 22 runs, Sher Malla took three for 11, and Anil Kharel chipped in with two for 9. Between them, the three bowlers accounted for nine of the ten wickets, and the defending champions had a target their batters could chase without pressure.

Sudurpaschim came into the match as the league’s most consistent side — runners-up in both previous seasons and owners of the most wins in league history, 14. None of that counted once Mahato and Malla started striking. The Royals’ batters could not build, could not accelerate, and by the time the innings ended, the opener already felt decided.

Short and Aasif finish it in 9.5 overs

Lumbini’s chase took 59 balls. D’Arcy Short set the tone with 40 off 18 balls, and Aasif Sheikh, playing as a specialist opener with Niroshan Dickwella keeping wicket, made 32 off 25 in a 71-run stand with Short that ended the contest as a contest. Anil Kharel, who had already taken two wickets with the ball, finished unbeaten on 15 as Lumbini reached 88 for 3 in 9.5 overs.

Three wickets fell in the chase, but the result was never in doubt after the opening stand. Short’s powerplay hitting meant the required rate stayed under control from the start, and Kharel’s calm finish closed out a seven-wicket win with 61 balls still unused. Sher Malla, whose three wickets had shaped the first innings, was named Player of the Match.

A final rematch, a different story

This was not just any opener. Lumbini and Sudurpaschim had met in the Season 2 final on 13 December 2025, when the Royals were bowled out for 85 and Lumbini chased 86 for 4 to win their first title. Before that final, Sudurpaschim had won both earlier meetings between the sides — by 45 runs in Season 1, and by seven wickets in the Season 2 league match after chasing 144.

Sudurpaschim still lead the overall head-to-head 2–1, but Lumbini have now won the two matches that mattered most: the final, and the opener that followed it. For a side chasing revenge for two lost finals, this was the worst possible start.

What the opener means for both sides

Lumbini banked two points and a huge net run rate boost on day one. A win inside ten overs does more than add points — it tells the rest of the league that the champions have not come to defend their title quietly. With Rohit Paudel leading a side that already knows how to win the big games, the Lions look like the team to beat again.

Sudurpaschim, meanwhile, have a familiar problem. Twice runners-up, twice beaten in finals, they started Season 3 hoping this would finally be their year — and instead they were bowled out for the second-lowest total of their rivalry’s recent history. The fixtures give them no time to dwell: both teams play again on Saturday, 31 October, in the first double-header of the season. Lumbini meet Chitwan Rhinos at 12:30 PM NST, and Sudurpaschim face Biratnagar Kings at 5:00 PM NST, both at Kirtipur.