Lumbini Lions beat Janakpur Bolts by 16 runs in the 14th match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Thursday. Lumbini made 149/8 after Janakpur chose to bowl, with captain Rohit Paudel top-scoring on 34. Sher Malla then took 2/29 and broke the Bolts’ last big partnership as Janakpur finished on 133/8.

Match Result at a Glance

Lumbini Recovers From First-Ball Wicket to Post 149/8

Lumbini Lions lost D’Arcy Short for a duck off the first ball, caught off Lalit Rajbanshi. Aasif Sheikh (21) and Niroshan Dickwella (27) added 43 for the second wicket before Harmeet Singh got Sheikh lbw. Dilip Nath hit 25 off 16 balls, including two fours and two sixes.

Paudel top-scored with 34 off 30 balls before he was caught off Abhisekh Tiwari. Lumbini reached 100 in 15.2 overs and was 125/5 after 18, then took 24 off the last two overs to reach 149/8.

Sher Malla Turns the Chase

Janakpur Bolts were 42/1 in the seventh over but lost wickets in a cluster after that. Captain Harmeet Singh (33 off 20) and Aaditya Mahata brought the equation down to 42 needed off 15 balls, but Malla bowled Harmeet Singh in the 18th over and ended the stand.

Mahata finished unbeaten on 30 off 24 balls, including four sixes, but Janakpur could not get close. Malla took 2/29 in his four overs. Ruben Trumpelmann took 1/30, and Tilak Bhandari took two wickets.

What the Result Means

It is Lumbini’s third win of NPL 2026, and the defending champions now have seven points. See the full NPL 2026 points table.

Next for Lumbini Lions: vs Kathmandu Gurkhas, Match 18, November 7, 5:00 PM NPT

Full details: Lumbini Lions vs Janakpur Bolts live scorecard | NPL 2026 schedule | live scores