The first-ever Nepal Premier League (NPL) reached halfway through its league stage matches following the conclusion of Match Day 8 on Sunday. At this point, Janakpur Bolts managed to maintain their position as the only undefeated team.
The Janakpur Bolts defeated the Biratnagar Kings on November 30 to record their first victory in the NPL opening. After defeating the Lumbini Lions in a close game on Sunday, they recorded their fourth victory. They had previously defeated Karnali Yaks and Pokhara Avengers on December 2 and 5, respectively.
Janakpur leads the table with eight points from four victories. With the standing, Janakpur has virtually guaranteed a place in the NPL playoffs. If they defeat the Sudurpaschim Royals in their upcoming match on Wednesday, they will secure a spot.
If Sudurpaschim had won their fourth straight game on Sunday, the matchup between them and Janakpur on December 11 would have been more intriguing. On December 8, Sudurpaschim lost by 33 runs to Chitwan Rhinos, ending their three-match winning streak. Furthermore, Janakpur won four straight games and defeated Lumbini by one run.
Sunday’s second game between Chitwan and Sudurpaschim was the fifteenth league-stage encounter. The gap is on Monday. Over the course of the following week, beginning on December 9, the final 13 games in the single round-robin format will be played.
In the NPL league stage, each of the eight clubs will play seven games.
Each of the eight clubs will play seven games in the league stage. Before the top four teams advance to the playoffs. Five teams have played four games each until Sunday, with the exception of the Kathmandu Gurkhas and Pokhara Avengers.
The fourth NPL games for Pokhara and Kathmandu will be against Karnali and Lumbini, respectively, on December 10 and 11. The pair’s chances of making the playoffs will rise with a victory.
Sudurpaschim and Chitwan have six points each from four games, making them optimistic. However, Karnali, with four points from two victories in four games, may struggle in the upcoming games without Shikhar Dhawan.
In the meantime, Biratnagar Kings must defeat Pokhara, Chitwan, and Kathmandu in their next three meetings. The dates of the game are December 12, 13, and 15, respectively. If they want to make the playoffs, the Biratnagar Kings must win their next three games.
All seven teams in the NPL have a chance to advance to the knockout stages, except for Lumbini. Lumbini has lost four consecutive games, while the other teams still have a chance to move on. In the second half of the NPL, every team will be playing a must-win game to try and advance.
Top scorers of runs
Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel is enjoying himself greatly as a batsman. However, his squad has lost all four of their NPL games thus far. Paudel is presently the NPL’s top run scorer with 181 runs after scoring a scorching 95 against Pokhara.
Ten players have scored more than 100 runs in the NPL. Among these players, nine have participated in four games.Andries Gous is the wicket-keeper batsman from the USA playing for Pokhara. He is the only player to have participated in two games. In these two games, Gous scored the first and only NPL century. He has a total of 124 runs. Gous has a good form that is likely to continue. With this form, he has the potential to lead the tally by the end of the tournament.
Comparably, just three Nepali players are now among the top 10 run scorers. Dipendra Singh Airee and Anil Kumar Sah are in fourth and tenth place, respectively, while Paudel is at the top.
Leading wicket-takers of NPL
Five Nepali players are among the top ten wicket-takers in the NPL thus far, with the remaining players being foreigners.
Sohail Tanvir has taken nine wickets in four games. He is the first player to claim a fifer in the NPL. Currently, Tanvir is leading the pack. Bipin Sharma and Bipin Khatri are the only two players with three games each on the Top 10 list. Both of them are from Nepal.
The 16-year-old Sharma is ranked fifth with six wickets, while Khatri is ranked tenth with five. With six wickets apiece, Abinash Bohara and Rijan Dhakal are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively.
After Naren Saud, Harsh Thaker became the third player to retire from the NPL on Sunday. With eight wickets, he sits in third place behind Thaker and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, who leads the field in economy.
The local and international talent has surpassed the seasoned bowlers of the Nepal national team. As a result, players like Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, and Sompal Kami are not on the Top 10 list.
However, when it comes to fielding, Sudurpaschim’s Naresh Bahadur Budayair has made the most catches in the NPL. He has caught out seven batsmen, including a maximum of three in a single game on Sunday against Chitwan.
With four catches in four games apiece, Ishan Pandey of Sudur and Anil Sah of Janakpur trail Budayair.
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