Biratnagar vs Lumbini NPL 2026 Match Result: Jora’s 25* Off 11 Seals 4-Wicket Win for Lumbini
Lumbini Lions beat Biratnagar Kings by four wickets in the 26th match of the Nepal Premier League 2026 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Saturday, November 14, chasing down 167 with just one ball to spare. Sundeep Jora smashed an unbeaten 25 off 11 balls, and Ruben Trumpelmann finished the game with a six off the penultimate delivery as Lumbini strengthened their push for a top-two finish.
Biratnagar, batting first after losing the toss, posted 166 for 4 in their 20 overs thanks to Charith Asalanka’s 64 off 43 balls. Lumbini replied with 168 for 6 in 19.5 overs, with openers D’Arcy Short and Aasif Sheikh both scoring 45. The win took Lumbini to 11 points and kept them firmly in the race for Qualifier 1, while Biratnagar stayed on eight points and now need other results to go their way to reach the playoffs.
Biratnagar vs Lumbini NPL 2026 match result: full score summary
Biratnagar Kings 166/4 (20 overs): Charith Asalanka 64 (43 balls, 1 four, 6 sixes), Shubham Ranjane 31 not out (24 balls, 4 fours), Imran Sheikh 24 not out (29 balls, 1 six), Lokesh Bam 15 (17 balls, 2 fours), Isuru Udana 6 (3 balls, 1 six), Basir Ahamad 6 not out (2 balls, 1 four), Shehan Jayasuriya 1 (2 balls). Extras 19. Fall of wickets: 33-1 (Bam, 4.4 ov), 145-2 (Asalanka, 17.6 ov), 152-3 (Jayasuriya, 18.6 ov), 160-4 (Udana, 19.4 ov).
Lumbini Lions 168/6 (19.5 overs): D’Arcy Short 45 (38 balls, 3 fours, 1 six), Aasif Sheikh 45 (41 balls, 3 fours, 1 six), Ali Sheikh 27 (19 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes), Sundeep Jora 25 not out (11 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes), Rohit Paudel 9 (7 balls, 1 six), Ruben Trumpelmann 6 not out (1 ball, 1 six), Niroshan Dickwella 0 (2 balls), Dilip Nath 0 (1 ball). Extras 11. Fall of wickets: 86-1 (Short, 11.5 ov), 91-2 (Dickwella, 12.4 ov), 91-3 (Nath, 12.5 ov), 98-4 (Aasif Sheikh, 13.5 ov), 120-5 (Paudel, 16.2 ov), 162-6 (Ali Sheikh, 19.4 ov).
Best bowling: For Lumbini, Kishor Mahato took 2 for 24 in four overs, Abhishesh Gautam 1 for 15 in three overs and Ruben Trumpelmann 1 for 52 in four overs, while Sher Malla conceded just 22 in his four overs. For Biratnagar, Aprajit Poudel claimed 2 for 5 in a single over, Charith Asalanka took 1 for 17 in four overs and Rupesh Singh 1 for 33 in 2.5 overs. Sandeep Lamichhane went wicketless, conceding 33 in four overs.
Player of the Match: Sundeep Jora (Lumbini Lions) for his unbeaten 25 off 11 balls.
| Team | Score | Top scorer | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biratnagar Kings | 166/4 (20 ov) | Charith Asalanka 64 (43) | Kishor Mahato 2/24 (4 ov) |
| Lumbini Lions | 168/6 (19.5 ov) | D’Arcy Short 45 (38); Aasif Sheikh 45 (41) | Aprajit Poudel 2/5 (1 ov) |
Asalanka’s 64 sets up 167 despite two dropped catches
Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel won the toss and chose to bowl first, and his decision looked good early when Lokesh Bam fell for 15 in the fifth over, caught behind off Kishor Mahato with the score on 33. But Charith Asalanka then took control of the Biratnagar innings, and Lumbini will rue the two chances they put down.
Asalanka was dropped on 22 by Ruben Trumpelmann at long-on and again on 47 by Aasif Sheikh at long-off, and he made the reprieves count. The Sri Lankan left-hander struck one four and six sixes in his 64 off 43 balls, adding 112 runs with Imran Sheikh for the second wicket before falling to Trumpelmann in the 18th over. Imran carried his bat for an unbeaten 24 off 29 balls, while Shubham Ranjane’s unbeaten 31 off 24 balls gave the innings a late lift. Biratnagar scored 21 runs in the last two overs to reach 166 for 4, a total that looked competitive on a Kirtipur surface where the median first-innings score is around 145.
Mahato was Lumbini’s most effective bowler, finishing with 2 for 24 from his four overs, while Gautam’s 1 for 15 and Sher Malla’s economical 0 for 22 kept Biratnagar from running away with the innings.
Lumbini’s chase: twin 45s, a mid-innings wobble and Jora’s finish
Lumbini’s chase began steadily, with D’Arcy Short and Aasif Sheikh putting on 86 for the first wicket in 11.5 overs. But the match turned sharply in the 13th over, when debutant spinner Aprajit Poudel struck twice in two balls, removing Niroshan Dickwella and Dilip Nath for ducks. When Aasif Sheikh was run out for 45 soon after, Lumbini had slipped from 86 for no loss to 98 for 4.
Captain Rohit Paudel’s run out for 9 left Lumbini at 120 for 5 in the 17th over, still needing 47 runs. Ali Sheikh’s 27 off 19 balls rebuilt the chase alongside Jora, and the pair added 42 for the sixth wicket. With 32 needed off the last 11 balls, Jora took charge, clearing the ropes three times in his unbeaten 25 off 11 balls. Ali Sheikh fell with five needed off the last two balls, but Trumpelmann ended the suspense immediately, launching Rupesh Singh for six off the penultimate delivery to seal a four-wicket win with a ball to spare.
Asalanka was Biratnagar’s most economical bowler, taking 1 for 17 in four overs and removing Short lbw, while Poudel’s double strike was the standout bowling moment of the chase. But Lamichhane’s wicketless four overs for 33 and Udana’s 42 runs in four overs left Biratnagar without the control they needed at the death.
Sundeep Jora named Player of the Match
Sundeep Jora was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 25 off 11 balls, an innings struck at 227.27 that turned a tense chase Lumbini’s way. He walked in with the game in the balance at 120 for 5 and finished it with three sixes, including the shot that brought the scores level before Trumpelmann’s winning hit.
Key turning points in Biratnagar vs Lumbini
- Asalanka’s two reprieves: Dropped on 22 and 47, the Biratnagar number three added 42 more runs after his second life and lifted his side from a middling total to a challenging 166.
- Poudel’s double strike: Two wickets in two balls in the 13th over — Dickwella and Nath both for ducks — dragged Lumbini from 86 for no loss to 91 for 3 and opened the game up.
- Two run outs: Basir Ahamad’s direct hits removed both Aasif Sheikh and Rohit Paudel, keeping Biratnagar in the contest deep into the chase.
- Jora’s late assault: With 32 needed off 11 balls, Jora’s three sixes in an 11-ball 25 not out swung the required rate decisively before Trumpelmann’s winning six.
What the result means for the NPL 2026 points table and playoffs
Lumbini had already secured a playoff berth before this match, starting the day second in the standings on nine points. This win takes them to 11 points and keeps them in contention for a top-two finish and a place in Qualifier 1, which offers a direct route to the final. For Biratnagar, the defeat is a heavy blow. They remain on eight points, and their playoff hopes now depend on other results — including the outcome of the match between Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks.
The result also underlines Lumbini’s batting depth. Even after losing four wickets for 12 runs in the middle overs, they had finishers in Jora and Trumpelmann to close out a chase of 167 — the kind of depth that matters in knockout cricket.
What’s next in NPL 2026
Lumbini will look to carry this momentum into their remaining league fixtures as they chase a top-two finish, while Biratnagar face a nervous wait on other results before their playoff fate is decided. The Nepal Premier League continues at Kirtipur, with the league stage moving towards its conclusion and the playoffs to follow. For the full schedule, timings and live-streaming details, see our NPL 2026 today match page. Biratnagar’s previous outing — a four-wicket win over Pokhara Avengers — is covered in our Biratnagar beat Pokhara by four wickets report, and Lumbini’s earlier Lumbini’s eight-wicket win over Pokhara shows how the Lions have built their campaign.
Cricfacts did not publish a win prediction for this fixture — the match was listed in the NPL 2026 today-match schedule article — so there is no prediction pick to mark right or wrong here.