Chitwan vs Kathmandu NPL 2026 Match Result: Kathmandu Gurkhas Beat Chitwan Rhinos by 10 Runs

Kathmandu Gurkhas beat Chitwan Rhinos by 10 runs in Match 20 of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Sunday, November 9, 2026. Defending 180/8, Kathmandu held their nerve in a tense finish as Chitwan closed on 170/7, falling 10 runs short of the 181-run target. Rashid Khan’s 52 off 30 balls was the difference between the sides, while Ravi Bopara’s 55 off 35 kept Chitwan in the hunt until the penultimate over.

It is Kathmandu’s third win of the NPL 2026 season — after beating Karnali Yaks and Lumbini Lions — while Chitwan slipped to their second defeat of the campaign. No prediction article existed for this individual fixture on cricfacts — the match was covered through the NPL 2026 today match article — so no prediction pick applies to this report.

Chitwan vs Kathmandu NPL 2026 match result: score summary

Team	Score	Overs	Result
Kathmandu Gurkhas	180/8	20	Won by 10 runs
Chitwan Rhinos	170/7	20	—

Chitwan Rhinos won the toss and elected to bowl first. Kathmandu recovered from 13/2 inside the first four overs to post 180/8, and then defended the total despite a 48-run opening stand and Bopara’s half-century in the chase.

Kathmandu Gurkhas innings: Rashid Khan’s 52 rescues the Gurkhas

Kathmandu made a dreadful start after being sent in to bat. Openers David Warner and Sahil Patel both fell cheaply, and the Gurkhas were 13/2 inside the first four overs — Warner bowled by Kamal Singh Airee for just 1 off 6 balls, and Patel caught off Rijan Dhakal for 8 off 12.

Rashid Khan then produced the innings that decided the match. The Afghanistan all-rounder struck 52 off 30 balls, with two fours and four sixes, his second half-century of the ongoing tournament. He shared a 62-run partnership for the third wicket with William Bosisto and added another 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Sri Lankan batter Sahan Arachchige.

Bosisto made 27 off 22 balls before falling to captain Sikandar Raza, while Arachchige scored 33 off 20 balls with three fours and two sixes. Captain Karan KC provided the late fireworks with 20 off just 7 balls, including three sixes, and Santosh Yadav finished unbeaten on 8 off 2 balls as Kathmandu reached 180/8.

Kathmandu Gurkhas batting	Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Rashid Khan	52	30	2	4
Sahan Arachchige	33	20	3	2
William Bosisto	27	22	0	1
Karan KC (c)	20	7	0	3
Aadil Ansari	9	8	2	0
Sahil Patel (wk)	8	12	1	0
Santosh Yadav	8*	2	0	1
Jahandad Khan	6	13	0	0
David Warner	1	6	0	0
Bhim Sharki	0*	2	0	0

For Chitwan, Rijan Dhakal was the most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for just 14 runs in his four overs. Sikandar Raza took 2/19 in three overs and Kamal Singh Airee claimed 2/25 in four overs, while Dan Mousley picked up 1/30. Kushal Malla had a night to forget with the ball, conceding 39 runs in his two overs.

Chitwan Rhinos bowling	Overs	Runs	Wickets
Rijan Dhakal	4	14	3
Sikandar Raza (c)	3	19	2
Kamal Singh Airee	4	25	2
Dan Mousley	2	30	1
Ravi Bopara	1	13	0
Ranjit Kumar	2	17	0
Mousom Dhakal	2	17	0
Kushal Malla	2	39	0

Chitwan Rhinos chase: Ravi Bopara’s 55 in vain

Chitwan’s chase began brightly. Openers Kamil Mishara and Arjun Saud put on 48 runs in 4.6 overs, with Mishara smashing 28 off just 11 balls, including one four and three sixes, before falling to Sahan Arachchige. Saud made 23 off 21 balls, and Chitwan were well placed at 57/1 after the powerplay.

Ravi Bopara then took charge of the chase. The former England all-rounder scored 55 off 35 balls, with two fours and three sixes, and shared a 55-run stand with Dan Mousley, who made 29 off 32 balls. At 107/3 in the 13th over, Chitwan needed 74 off 43 balls with seven wickets in hand, and the game was firmly in the balance.

But the middle order could not finish the job. Captain Sikandar Raza fell for just 2 off 3 balls to Ganesh Gautam, Kushal Malla managed 13 off 12, and Bibek Yadav was run out for 4. Bopara himself was dismissed in the penultimate over, caught off Karan KC for 55 with the score on 164/7, and Chitwan managed only six runs off the final four balls to finish on 170/7.

Chitwan Rhinos batting	Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Ravi Bopara	55	35	2	3
Dan Mousley	29	32	3	0
Kamil Mishara	28	11	1	3
Arjun Saud (wk)	23	21	4	0
Kushal Malla	13	12	1	0
Kamal Singh Airee	5*	4	0	0
Bibek Yadav	4	2	1	0
Sikandar Raza (c)	2	3	0	0
Rijan Dhakal	1*	1	0	0

Kathmandu’s bowling was shared around, with Sahan Arachchige the pick of the attack with 2/37 in four overs — his two wickets, Mishara and Mousley, both came at important moments. Ganesh Gautam was the most economical bowler with 1/16 in three overs, Santosh Yadav took 1/19, and Jahandad Khan and Karan KC claimed one wicket each. Rashid Khan, the hero with the bat, went wicketless with the ball, conceding 15 runs in two overs.

Kathmandu Gurkhas bowling	Overs	Runs	Wickets
Sahan Arachchige	4	37	2
Ganesh Gautam	3	16	1
Santosh Yadav	3	19	1
Jahandad Khan	4	37	1
Karan KC (c)	4	43	1
Rashid Khan	2	15	0

Turning points: where the Chitwan vs Kathmandu match was won and lost

The first turning point came early in Kathmandu’s innings. At 13/2, with Warner and Patel both gone inside four overs, Chitwan had the game in their hands. Rashid Khan’s counter-attacking 52 changed the momentum completely — his 62-run stand with Bosisto and 53-run stand with Arachchige took Kathmandu from a collapse to a competitive 180.

The second turning point was Rijan Dhakal’s spell. His 3/14 in four overs, the most economical bowling of the match, kept Kathmandu from running away to 200-plus and gave Chitwan a chaseable target.

In the chase, the decisive passage came between the 13th and 15th overs. Chitwan were 107/3 and needed 74 off 43 balls when Raza fell for 2, and the asking rate climbed past 12 an over. Bopara kept Chitwan alive with his half-century, but once Karan KC removed him at 164/7 in the 19th over, the chase was effectively over — Chitwan needed 17 off the last four balls and could not find the boundary.

Player of the Match: no official award confirmed yet

No official Player of the Match had been confirmed on the main scorecards at the time of publication. The standout performance of the game was Rashid Khan’s 52 off 30 balls, which lifted Kathmandu from 13/2 to a match-winning total, while Rijan Dhakal’s 3/14 and Ravi Bopara’s 55 were the other leading contenders.

What the result means for the NPL 2026 points table

Kathmandu’s win is their third of the season, following victories over Karnali Yaks and Lumbini Lions, and it keeps the Gurkhas firmly in the play-off race. Their batting depth was on display again — even after losing both openers cheaply, the middle order produced a winning total.

For Chitwan, it is a second defeat of the season after their earlier loss to Sudurpaschim Royals, and the Rhinos will rue a chase that was in their hands at the halfway mark. Bopara’s form with the bat is a positive, but the middle order’s failure to support him — Raza, Malla and Yadav combining for just 19 runs — cost them a winnable game.

Earlier on Sunday, Pokhara beat Karnali by 63 runs in the day’s first match, with Yuvraj Samra scoring a century, while Kathmandu beat Lumbini by 36 runs in their previous outing on November 7.

What’s next in NPL 2026

Both teams will be back in action as the NPL 2026 league stage continues at Kirtipur. Kathmandu will look to build on this win and push towards the top of the table, while Chitwan need a quick response to stay in the play-off hunt. The next round of fixtures, team news and full scorecards will be covered in the daily NPL updates on cricfacts.