Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Sudurpaschim defended a modest total in their second consecutive match on Friday to secure a Nepal Premier League (NPL) playoff berth.
Batting first, Sudurpaschim scored 125 for six in their allotted 20 overs. They then restricted Kathmandu to 118 for seven to seal their playoff berth.
In their previous match, Sudurpaschim successfully defended the modest total of 120 against Janakpur Bolts.
Sudurpaschim made a remarkable recovery after losing their first four wickets for just eight runs in 2.3 overs. Openers Scott Kuggeleijn and Binod Bhandari fell for six and one, respectively, while Brandon McMullen and Ishan Pandey were dismissed for ducks. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh (16) steadied the innings. Airee top-scored with 60 off 55 balls. He hit five fours and two sixes in a match-winning knock. Tharindu Ratnayake remained unbeaten on 26 off 23 balls, while debutant Fabian Allen was not out on two.
Jahandad Khan took three wickets for Kathmandu, while Santosh Yadav claimed two.
Kathmandu also made a poor start with the bat. They lost opener Bhim Sharki for a duck in the first over and his opening partner Sam Heazlett (11) in the second. Mohammad Aadil Alam (8) and Santosh Yadav (10) also fell cheaply, while Sahan Arachchige was dismissed for a duck. Rashid Khan kept the Gorkhas in the hunt with an unbeaten 35 off 21 balls, while Dushan Hemantha scored 21 off 18. The other Kathmandu batters failed to reach double figures.
Anil Kharel picked up two wickets for Sudurpaschim, while Scott Kuggeleijn, Hemant Dhami and Fabian Allen claimed one each.
Kathmandu, who were 102/6 after 17 overs, needed just 25 runs in the last three overs and appeared favorites to win. However, they eventually fell seven runs short as Hemant Dhami and Scott Kuggeleijn bowled tight death overs. Those three overs yielded just one boundary for Kathmandu.
With the win, Sudurpaschim moved to the top of the NPL standings with 10 points from seven matches. Kathmandu slipped to third with eight points from six matches. The Gorkhas still have a match in hand against Pokhara Avengers, who are already out of the playoff race.
