Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Sudurpashchim Royals maintained their unbeaten record in the Nepal Premier League, cruising to a seven-wicket victory over Lumbini Lions at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Thursday.
Asked to bat first, Lumbini were bowled out for a modest 143 in 19.4 overs after a late batting collapse in which they lost their final five wickets for just 24 runs. Sudurpashchim overcame the target with 10 balls to spare.
Although Lumbini’s top-order batters got the start, they failed to convert into a big score. Openers D’Arcy Short and Sumit Maharjan both fell for 18. Captain Rohit Paudel and Dilip Nath stabilized the innings—Paudel top-scored with a 36-ball 35, while Nath added 31 from 29 deliveries. However, their dismissals triggered a slide. Gulbadin Naib managed 11, but the rest of the middle and lower order failed to reach double figures.
Harmeet Singh and Abinash Bohara claimed three wickets each for Sudurpashchim, while Hemant Dhami struck twice and Scott Kuggeleijn added one.
Sudurpashchim made a light work of the chase despite losing opener Josh Brown for 9. His partner, Binod Bhandari, anchored the innings, finishing unbeaten on 69 off 49 balls. Aarif Sheikh provided support from the other end, scoring 39 from 37 deliveries. Chris Lynn chipped in with a brisk 16 to ensure a comfortable finish.
Ruben Trumpelmann, Abishesh Gautam and Tilak Bhandari took a wicket apiece for Lumbini.
The defeat marked their third consecutive loss for Lumbini, who started the tournament with a victory over Chitwan. Lumbini must win all three of its remaining league matches to stay in contention for a play-off berth.
