Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Sudurpaschim Royals concluded the Nepal Premier League (NPL) league stage as table toppers, handing Karnali Yaks a six-wicket defeat in its final league stage match at the TU International Cricket Grounds on Sunday.
Electing to field first after winning the toss, Sudurpaschim bundled out Karnali for a paltry 101 runs and met the target, losing four wickets in 15.2 overs.
Monday’s result ended Kathmandu Gurkhas’ slim chance of making it to the playoffs. Janakpur Bolts, Chitwan Rhinos, and Karnali Yaks finished in the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively. Sudurpaschim Royals has 12 points form 10 games, while Janakpur Bolts has 10 points, and Chitwan Rhinos, Karnali Yaks and Kathmandu Gurkhas all have eight points each. Kathmandu has an interior net runrate compared to the other two.
Sudurpaschim Royals will now meet Janakpur Bolts in the first qualifier on Wednesday, while Chitwan Tigers takes on Karnali Yaks in the Eliminator. The winner of the qualifier will enter the final, while the loser will play against the winner of the Eliminator in the second qualifier to enter the final.
Karnali Yaks, which needed to avoid a heavy defeat to book its spot in the playoffs, made a slow start with the bat. It lost four wickets before the team could reach 40 runs in the ninth over. Zeeshan Maqsood top-scored for Karnali with a 35-ball 30. William Bosisto scored 16, while Babar Hayat contributed 13, and Chadwick Walton and Captain Sompal Kami hit 11 runs each. Other Karnali batters failed to reach double digits.
Harmeet Singh took three wickets for Sudurpaschim, while Scott Kuggeleinj and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed two each, and Saif Zaib had a wicket to his name.
Sudurpaschim’s top order crumbled despite chasing a low score. Saif Zaib scored 11, while Binod Bhandari and Brandon McMullen fell for 4 and 3 runs, respectively. Ishan Pandey and Captain Dipendra Singh Airee resurrected Sudurpaschim’s innings. Pandey scored a not-out 38 from 36 balls, while Airee contributed 38 off 29 balls. Arif Sheikh scored a not-out four.
Sompal Kami, Bipin Sharma, and Nandan Yadav claimed a wicket each for Karnali.
Chitwan Rhinos will play Karnali Yaks in the Eliminator in the first match on Wednesday, before Sudurpaschim Royals plays Janakpur Bolts in Qualifier 1 in the second match of the day.
