Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts NPL 2026 Match Result: Russell’s All-Round Heroics Seal 2-Run Thriller

Biratnagar Kings held their nerve in a last-over thriller to beat Janakpur Bolts by 2 runs in the 12th match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Defending 174/3, the Kings restricted Janakpur to 172/7 in 20 overs, with Andre Russell starring with both bat and ball in what was billed as his final NPL appearance of the season.

Janakpur, who won the toss and elected to field, needed 13 runs off the final over with five wickets in hand. Russell, bowling the 20th over, conceded just 10 runs and picked up two wickets — including Saif Hassan off the very last ball — to seal the win for Sandeep Lamichhane’s side. No prediction pick existed for this individual fixture on cricfacts.com, which covered it through the NPL 2026 today match page.

Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts Match Result Summary

Team	Score	Overs	Result
Biratnagar Kings	174/3	20	Won by 2 runs
Janakpur Bolts	172/7	20	—

Toss: Janakpur Bolts won the toss and elected to field. Venue: TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Player of the Match: Andre Russell (52 not out off 29 balls and 4/45). Captains: Sandeep Lamichhane (Biratnagar Kings), Harmeet Singh (Janakpur Bolts).

Sheikh and Bam Rebuild Before Russell’s Late Assault

Biratnagar’s innings began with an early scare. Opener Shehan Jayasuriya fell for just 1 in the first over, stumped by Anil Sah off Moeen Ali, leaving the Kings at 2/1. But Lokesh Bam and Imran Sheikh steadied the innings with a superb 107-run second-wicket partnership off 76 balls, bringing up their hundred stand in 69 balls.

Sheikh was the aggressor early, reaching his half-century off 40 balls, and finished with 56 off 45 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, before being caught behind by Anil Sah off Abhisekh Tiwari in the 14th over at 109/2. Bam continued to anchor the innings and brought up his fifty before falling for 50 off 40 balls (three fours, three sixes), caught by Lalit Rajbanshi off Tiwari at the end of the 18th over, with the score on 146/3.

That set the stage for Russell, who smashed an unbeaten 52 off 29 balls (two fours, five sixes, strike rate 179.31) and, with Shubham Ranjane (7 not out off 5), helped Biratnagar plunder 62 runs in the final five overs. For Janakpur, Tiwari took 2/38 from four overs and Moeen Ali claimed 1/13 in two overs, while Lalit Rajbanshi (0/30), Harmeet Singh (0/35) and Rahul Yadav (0/29) went wicketless.

Saif Hassan’s 71 Keeps Janakpur Alive in the Chase

Chasing 175, Janakpur’s reply got off to a disastrous start. Moeen Ali (10 off 14) and Trit Raj Das (6 off 9) fell cheaply, and when Anil Sah was dismissed for a duck by Russell, the Bolts had slumped to 30/3 inside five overs. The chase looked dead — until Saif Hassan and Bishal Shusling revived it with a 76-run fourth-wicket stand off 56 balls.

Shusling made a lively 43 off 30 balls (two fours, three sixes) before Angelo Mathews removed him at 106/4 in the 14th over. Saif Hassan kept Janakpur in the hunt with 71 off 48 balls (two fours, five sixes), adding 56 off 30 balls with James Neesham (27 off 15, three sixes) before Neesham fell to Rupesh Singh at 162/5 in the 19th over.

That left Janakpur needing 13 runs off the final over. Russell held his nerve: Saif took a single, Harmeet fell for a duck, Tiwari hit a four and took a single, Saif found the boundary again — and then, with three runs needed off the last ball, Russell dismissed Saif, caught by Basir Ahamad, to complete the two-run win.

Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts Full Scorecard

Biratnagar Kings batting — 174/3 (20 overs)

Batter	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Dismissal
Shehan Jayasuriya (wk)	1	3	0	0	st Anil Sah b Moeen Ali
Lokesh Bam	50	40	3	3	c Lalit Rajbanshi b Abhisekh Tiwari
Imran Sheikh	56	45	5	2	c Anil Sah b Abhisekh Tiwari
Andre Russell	52*	29	2	5	not out
Shubham Ranjane	7*	5	1	0	not out

Extras 8. Fall of wickets: 2/1 (0.4 ov), 109/2 (13.2 ov), 146/3 (17.6 ov). Did not bat: Angelo Mathews, Narayan Joshi, Rupesh Singh, Sandeep Lamichhane (c), Basir Ahamad, Aprajit Poudel.

Janakpur Bolts bowling: Moeen Ali 2-0-13-1, Lalit Rajbanshi 4-0-30-0, Harmeet Singh 4-0-35-0, Rahul Yadav 4-0-29-0, James Neesham 2-0-28-0, Abhisekh Tiwari 4-0-38-2.

Janakpur Bolts batting — 172/7 (20 overs)

Batter	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Dismissal
Moeen Ali	10	14	1	0	c Shubham Ranjane b Andre Russell
Trit Raj Das	6	9	1	0	b Angelo Mathews
Saif Hassan	71	48	2	5	c Basir Ahamad b Andre Russell
Anil Sah (wk)	0	2	0	0	c Imran Sheikh b Andre Russell
Bishal Shusling	43	30	2	3	c Basir Ahamad b Angelo Mathews
James Neesham	27	15	0	3	c Shubham Ranjane b Rupesh Singh
Harmeet Singh (c)	0	1	0	0	c Basir Ahamad b Andre Russell
Abhisekh Tiwari	5*	2	1	0	not out

Extras 10. Fall of wickets: 15/1 (2.5 ov), 30/2 (4.2 ov), 30/3 (4.4 ov), 106/4 (13.6 ov), 162/5 (18.6 ov), 163/6 (19.2 ov), 172/7 (19.6 ov). Did not bat: Amar Routela, Rahul Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi.

Biratnagar Kings bowling: Angelo Mathews 3-0-25-2, Shehan Jayasuriya 1-0-6-0, Rupesh Singh 2-0-21-1, Andre Russell 4-0-45-4, Aprajit Poudel 4-0-26-0, Sandeep Lamichhane 4-0-27-0, Basir Ahamad 2-0-16-0.

Andre Russell Named Player of the Match

Russell was named Player of the Match for a complete all-round performance. His unbeaten 52 off 29 balls lifted Biratnagar from 146/3 to a match-winning 174/3, and his 4/45 included the wickets of Moeen Ali, Anil Sah, Harmeet Singh and the set Saif Hassan off the final delivery. Moeen Ali was also playing his final NPL game of the season, according to pre-match reports.

Key Turning Points of the Two-Run Thriller

• The 107-run stand: After losing Jayasuriya for 1, Bam and Sheikh’s second-wicket partnership took Biratnagar from trouble to a position of strength and set up the late assault.
• Russell’s final-five-over blitz: Biratnagar scored 62 runs in the last five overs, turning a par total into a winning one at Kirtipur.
• Janakpur’s 30/3 collapse: Losing Moeen, Trit Raj Das and Anil Sah inside five overs left the Bolts chasing the game for most of their innings.
• Saif’s lone fight: Saif Hassan’s 71 off 48 balls, plus stands of 76 with Shusling and 56 with Neesham, dragged Janakpur to the brink — but the 13-run final over proved one boundary too many.
• The last ball: With three runs needed off the final delivery, Russell removed the well-set Saif Hassan.

What the Result Means for the NPL 2026 Points Table

The win lifts Biratnagar Kings to four points from four matches. They had arrived with just one win from three — an 8-run defeat to Chitwan Rhinos, a high-scoring loss to Karnali Yaks, and a 35-run win over Sudurpaschim Royals in a rain-reduced five-over match on 31 October — and this second victory gets their season moving.

Janakpur Bolts, who had started the day second on the points table with two wins from three, stay on four points from four matches after this defeat. Their earlier wins came against Kathmandu Gurkhas by 8 wickets and against Pokhara Avengers by 9 runs, when Trit Raj Das scored 61 and Moeen Ali took 3/13. The Bolts remain in the playoff hunt, but this narrow loss keeps the mid-table congested, with several sides now level on four points.

What’s Next in NPL 2026

The NPL 2026 action continues on the same day at Kirtipur with the evening fixture between defending champions Lumbini Lions and Pokhara Avengers in Match 13, starting at 5:00 PM NPT (4:45 PM IST). Lumbini, unbeaten with one win and one no-result, take on a Pokhara side still searching for their first win after two defeats, including the 9-run loss to Janakpur in their last outing, covered in our report on how Janakpur beat Pokhara by 9 runs. Biratnagar will look to build on this thriller, while Janakpur must regroup quickly after letting a chaseable target slip away. For more NPL results, see how Sudurpaschim beat Chitwan by 5 wickets in the previous round of fixtures.