Kathmandu Beat Karnali by 4 Wickets in NPL Match 10

Kathmandu beat Karnali by 4 wickets in NPL Match 10 at Kirtipur, chasing 181 for 6 after Karnali had posted 180 for 6, with captain Karan KC scoring 44 off 20 balls and taking 2 for 35.

Monday’s first game ended a winless start. Kathmandu Gorkhas beat Karnali Yaks by four wickets in NPL Season 3 Match 10 at TU Ground, Kirtipur, on Monday, 2 November 2026. Karnali posted 180 for 6 after Kathmandu won the toss and chose to bowl, and Kathmandu chased the target down for 181 for 6. Karan KC was named Player of the Match for 44 off 20 balls with the bat and 2 for 35 with the ball. Kathmandu have their first win of the season, while Karnali have their first defeat after two wins.

Karan and Rashid lead the chase

Kathmandu’s chase was built on two innings at the top of the card. Rashid Khan top scored with 50, and captain Karan KC smashed 44 off 20 balls, and the pair gave Kathmandu a chase that never drifted out of reach after Karnali had posted 180 for 6. Rashid Khan in this match is the Nepali batter, not the Afghan spinner, and his fifty anchored the innings while Karan attacked around him.

Jahandad Khan finished unbeaten on 22, and Santosh Yadav finished unbeaten on 5, and the unbeaten pair saw Kathmandu home for 181 for 6. Mohammad Aadil Alam scored 20, and his contribution kept the chase moving through the middle overs. Bhim Sharki scored 5, and Smit Patel scored 9, and both fell before the finish without derailing the chase.

David Warner played for Kathmandu and scored 16 off 10 balls. Warner’s signing had been confirmed before the season, and camp talk had pointed at Match 10 as a possible arrival, and his appearance in the Kathmandu side on Monday turned that talk into a team-sheet fact. Warner’s 16 off 10 balls was a short stay, but his presence in the side was the day’s biggest selection news, and Kathmandu’s first win of the season came with him in the line-up.

Kathmandu had lost their only previous match of the season, an eight-wicket defeat to Janakpur in Match 5 after being bowled out for 115. Monday’s chase of 181 was a different batting display entirely, and the win lifts Kathmandu off the bottom of the table with two points from two matches.

Karnali post 180 for 6

Karnali’s innings was built on two strong hands at the top and a calm finish. Ariful Islam scored 44 off 22 balls, and Hussain Talat scored 40 off 30 balls, and the pair gave Karnali a platform after Kathmandu had put them in to bat. Pawan Sarraf finished unbeaten on 30, and his late hitting carried Karnali to 180 for 6 in 20 overs.

Gulshan Jha scored 20, and Mark Watt scored 17, and both kept the scoreboard moving through the middle overs. Deepak Dumre, keeping wicket for Karnali, scored 8, and Jishan Alam scored 7, and captain Sompal Kami finished unbeaten on 1. Karnali’s total of 180 for 6 looked strong at the halfway stage, and only one side had chased more in the season so far, with Karnali themselves chasing 187 against Biratnagar in Match 6.

Karan KC took 2 for 35 for Kathmandu, and his wickets with the ball matched his 44 off 20 balls with the bat for a complete captain’s performance. Karnali had won both previous matches of the season, defending 132 for 9 against Janakpur in Match 3 and chasing 187 against Biratnagar in Match 6, and Monday’s defeat is their first of Season 3.

Captain’s all-round show decides it

Karan KC’s match was decided in both halves of the game. Karan took 2 for 35 with the ball to keep Karnali to 180 for 6, then smashed 44 off 20 balls with the bat to drive the chase, and the combination earned him Player of the Match. Captains are judged on matches like this one, and Karan led Kathmandu in both disciplines on the day his side needed a first win.

Rashid Khan’s fifty gave the chase its anchor, and Jahandad Khan’s unbeaten 22 gave it its finish, and Karan’s 44 off 20 balls gave it its pace. Karnali’s bowlers had defended 132 for 9 against Janakpur earlier in the season, but 180 for 6 was not enough on Monday, and Kathmandu’s batting depth showed in the way the chase kept finding runs after each wicket.

Sompal Kami captained Karnali with Gyanendra Malla as head coach, and Monty Desai coached Kathmandu, and the captain’s contest went Karan’s way on Monday. Karnali remain a strong side with two wins from three matches, and one defeat does not change their season, but Kathmandu’s first win changes theirs completely.

Table takes shape after Match 10

Karnali remain on four points from three matches, level with Janakpur, who also have four points from three matches. Lumbini and Chitwan have three points each, and Biratnagar and Sudurpaschim have two points each. Kathmandu move to two points from two matches with their first win, and Pokhara remain without a point from two matches. No net run rate figures are printed here, since those need recomputation from full season totals.

Kathmandu face Biratnagar on 5 November, and Karnali face Sudurpaschim on 6 November, both at TU Ground, Kirtipur. NetTV streams the matches worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts them in Nepal. Tickets are sold through eSewa, the league’s exclusive ticketing partner, with General tickets at NPR 500 and Premium at NPR 1,000.