Sudurpaschim Royals’ season gets better and better with another convincing chase of a modest total. They defeated last year’s finalist, Janakpur Bolts, by 6 wickets, pushing them to the brink of early elimination. This was their third win in four matches against the Bolts; their only loss came in last year’s final.

Wayne Parnell, who had just joined the team in the previous match, replaced Anil Sah as skipper. Sah was dropped from the lineup and replaced by Aaditya Mahata. Parnell became the first overseas captain to lead any franchise in the NPL. They decided to bat first after winning the toss, following the template of Pokhara Avengers and Karnali Yaks—becoming only the third side to bat first after winning the toss this season.

Aasif Sheikh bagged another duck—two in a row—similar to his national team opening partner Kushal Bhurtel, who also collected two consecutive ducks after scoring two fifties. Aasif was yorked by a peach of a delivery from Scott Kuggeleijn in the first over. Mayan Yadav (6) was trapped lbw by the same bowler. Airee bowled Sadaqat on 12. Contributions from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (39) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (50) took the total beyond 120. Krishnamurthi was dropped on 43 by Scott Kuggeleijn off his own bowling, though it was a tough chance—he only got his fingertips to it. Parnell (14) and Mahata (13) chipped in with useful runs.

The Royals came back strongly in the last five overs to restrict the Bolts to 145 when, at one stage, they looked set to score beyond 160—especially after the 15th over from Dipendra Singh Airee that went for 20 runs, his most expensive over in the NPL. 

Scott Kuggeleijn (3/22) and Abinash Bohara (4/30) continued their good form, taking 7 wickets between them. Both of them have taken at least one wicket in every game they have played. Bohara replaced Lamichhane (10) at the top of the wicket-taking chart, moving to 11 wickets after five matches.

Sudurpaschim Royals have become stronger with each match in this NPL. However, they will now be without the services of Harmeet Singh, who has already taken 9 wickets at less than 5.5 runs per over. He is one of the key players in the Royals’ lineup. They have already signed Puneet Mehra, who has experience in franchise cricket in Nepal.

Chasing a modest 146, Brown (0) and Lynn (1) fell early, both dismissed by left-arm spinner Maaz Sadaqat. This is Josh Brown’s third duck in five matches. Lynn is yet to make a significant score apart from a 31; he hasn’t enjoyed the slow, spinning surfaces—much like Dawid Malan and D’Arcy Short, both of whom are also struggling.

Binod Bhandari (42) and Ishan Pandey (56) put together a match-winning 92-run partnership for the third wicket to steady the chase. Bhandari was dropped by Loftie-Eaton on 33 at cover. Pandey, who brought up his maiden NPL fifty, blasted three consecutive fours off Aaditya Mahata before eventually being dismissed by him. Harmeet Singh walked in and smashed a quick-fire 25 to ensure the match finished early. Lalit Rajbanshi, who has taken only two wickets so far, was taken for three sixes in four deliveries. Wayne Parnell did not bowl at all.

While the Royals became the first team to reach the playoffs this season, the Bolts needed to win their next encounter against the Chitwan Rhinos to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Royals also became the first team to win five consecutive matches in the NPL. Loftie-Eaton has scores of 39 and 41, but he hasn’t managed to win a game on his own yet, even though he is capable of doing so. Krishnamurthi has made an all-around contribution for the Bolts but needs more support from local players if they are to make a dramatic comeback in the competition. Even if they do so, they could still miss out on the playoffs, given their poor net run rate and the results required in other matches. At the very least, they should win some matches for loyal fans who continue to come out in large numbers.