Janakpur vs Sudurpaschim Head to Head: Royals Lead 3-1

Sudurpaschim against Janakpur is the NPL’s most lopsided rivalry with the most dramatic exception. Sudurpaschim have won three of the four meetings, including a 72-run rout that bowled Janakpur out for 51, yet Janakpur won the one meeting that decided a trophy — the Season 1 final, chased down with four balls to spare. Sudurpaschim lead the head to head three wins to one, Janakpur hold the title from their head-to-head final, and their Season 3 meeting on 10 November will test which story matters more.

Three Sudurpaschim wins, one Janakpur final

Sudurpaschim dominated the early rivalry. On 11 December 2024, they posted 123 for 9 and bowled Janakpur out for 51 in 12.1 overs to win by 72 runs, ending Janakpur’s unbeaten run in the tournament with the lowest total the league has seen. A week later, in Qualifier 1 on 18 December 2024, Janakpur batted first for 139 for 9, with Jimmy Neesham’s 45 the top score, and Sudurpaschim chased 141 for 2 in 18.3 overs behind Binod Bhandari’s unbeaten 58 to win by eight wickets.

Janakpur answered in the final. On 21 December 2024, Sudurpaschim batted first for 184 for 9, with Saif Zaib’s 69 off 43 balls and Bhandari’s 41 off 31 leading the way, but Janakpur chased 185 for 5 in 19.2 overs — Lahiru Milantha’s 87 off 49 balls and Aasif Sheikh’s 33 off 19 setting up Harsh Thaker’s unbeaten 30 — to win by five wickets with four balls to spare and lift the inaugural title.

Sudurpaschim struck again in Season 2, on 29 November 2025, chasing Janakpur’s 145 for 8 with 148 for 4 in 17.4 overs to win by six wickets, with Ishan Pandey taking player of the match. Three wins to one for Sudurpaschim — but the one loss is the final that made Janakpur champions.

Two captains, two different Season 3 stories

Season 3 has both sides level in the middle of the table. Janakpur sit fourth after six matches, with one win and one loss, after Moeen Ali’s unbeaten 58 sealed their first win of the season over Kathmandu by eight wickets. Sudurpaschim sit fifth, also one win and one loss, after Dipendra Singh Airee’s unbeaten 51 carried them past Pokhara by six wickets.

Airee leads Sudurpaschim’s resistance with 78 runs and two wickets across their two matches, while Harmeet Singh’s Janakpur lean on Moeen’s 77 runs and Rahul Yadav’s six wickets, the most by any bowler after six matches. Moeen’s departure window (Match 12 or Match 14, depending on which report fans read) falls before the 10 November meeting, so Janakpur may face their bogey side without the batter who won them Match 5.

Match 21 tests the final’s lesson

Season 3 Match 21 on 10 November at TU Ground is the next chapter, and it arrives with a clear question: does Sudurpaschim’s three-to-one dominance hold, or does Janakpur’s final win prove that this fixture turns when a trophy is near? Janakpur’s remaining league matches after Match 21 include Chitwan on 13 November, while Sudurpaschim close against Kathmandu the same day.

If Sudurpaschim win, they will stretch their lead to four wins to one and tighten their grip on a fixture they have owned everywhere except the final. If Janakpur win, they will cut the gap to three wins to two and carry the belief that they beat this opponent when it matters — a belief built on one December night in 2024.