Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Lumbini Lions advanced to Qualifier 2 of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), defeating Kathmandu Gorkhas by four wickets at the TU International Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Fielding first, Lumbini restricted Kathmandu to 112/6 in 20 overs. Although Lumbini wobbled during the chase, they achieved the target with 14 balls to spare.
They will now meet Biratnagar Kings in Qualifier 2 for a chance to play Sudurpashchim Royals in the final.
Kathmandu made a poor start with the bat, losing opener Aakash Tripathi (1) with just four runs on the board. No. 3 batter Sunny Patel (7) followed in the next over, and Milind Kumar (2) departed in the fourth. Opener Ben Charlesworth (4) also fell in the fifth over. Although Bhim Sharki (14) and John Simpson (18) attempted to stabilise the innings, neither could convert their starts into a substantial score. Santosh Yadav (23) and Mohammad Aadil Alam (18) added useful runs to push the total past 100. Rashid Khan (2), Karan KC (9), and Shahab Alam (4) failed to make a meaningful contribution.
Sher Malla and captain Rohit Paudel picked up three wickets each for Lumbini, while Ruben Trumpelmann claimed two, and Abhishes Gautam chipped in with one.
Lumbini stumbled in pursuit of the modest total, losing opener Dinesh Adhikari (4) in the third over. However, opener D’Arcy Short (33) and captain Paudel (18) steadied the innings, while Sundeep Jora struck a run-a-ball 23 to keep the chase on track. Niroshan Dickwella added 14 off 14 balls. Trumpelmann (5*) sealed the victory with a four off captain Karan KC.
Santosh Yadav claimed two wickets for Kathmandu, while captain KC, Sunny Patel, Shahab Alam, and Rashid Khan took one each.
Lumbini will face Biratnagar Kings in Qualifier 2 on Thursday.
