Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim NPL 2026 Match Result: Royals Win by 7 Runs, Qualify for Playoffs

Sudurpaschim Royals are through to the Nepal Premier League 2026 playoffs. The Royals defended a modest total of 125 for six to beat Kathmandu Gorkhas by seven runs in Match 24 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Friday, November 13, 2026, becoming the second team after Lumbini Lions to secure a playoff place.

Chasing 126, Kathmandu finished on 118 for seven in their 20 overs. Rashid Khan top-scored with an unbeaten 35 off 31 balls, but the Gorkhas never recovered from a top-order collapse, and the asking rate kept climbing against a disciplined Royals attack led by Anil Kharel’s two for 18.

The win was built on a captain’s rescue act. Sudurpaschim had lost four wickets for just eight runs inside the first three overs, before Dipendra Singh Airee’s 60 off 55 balls dragged them to a total their bowlers could defend.

Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim NPL 2026 match result and score summary

Team	Score	Top scorer	Best bowler
Sudurpaschim Royals	125/6 (20 overs)	Dipendra Singh Airee 60 (55)	Jahandad Khan 3 wickets
Kathmandu Gorkhas	118/7 (20 overs)	Rashid Khan 35* (31)	Anil Kharel 2/18

Result: Sudurpaschim Royals won by 7 runs. Toss: Kathmandu Gorkhas won the toss and chose to bowl. Venue: Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Player of the Match: not officially confirmed in the sources available at the time of publication.

Airee rescues Sudurpaschim from 8 for 4

Sudurpaschim’s innings began in disaster. Sent in to bat after losing the toss, the Royals lost four wickets for just eight runs in 2.3 overs. Scott Kuggeleijn made six, Binod Bhandari one, and both Brandon McMullen and Ishan Pandey were dismissed for ducks. At 8 for 4, a total of even 100 looked a long way away.

Captain Dipendra Singh Airee steadied the innings first with a 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Aarif Sheikh, who was run out for 16. Airee then added another 54 runs with Tharindu Rathnayake for the sixth wicket, and the pair batted Sudurpaschim out of trouble. Airee reached his fifty off 46 balls and finished with 60 off 55, hitting five fours and two sixes, while Rathnayake remained unbeaten on 26.

It was Airee’s third half-century in the Nepal Premier League, and it turned a potential collapse into a defendable total. For Kathmandu, Jahandad Khan took three wickets and Santosh Yadav claimed two, but the Gorkhas could not finish the job after their dream start with the ball.

Kathmandu’s chase stalls after early wickets

Kathmandu’s reply started badly too. Sam Heazlett was run out for 11, Bhim Sharki fell for a duck, and the Gorkhas were 12 for two inside the first two overs. Mohammad Aadil Alam’s slow 8 off 24 balls and Santosh Yadav’s 10 off 19 kept the scoreboard crawling, and by the time the fifth wicket fell at 48, Kathmandu needed more than nine an over.

Rashid Khan fought hard at the end, finishing unbeaten on 35 off 31 balls with five fours, and Dushan Hemantha added 21 off 18 balls. The pair put on 34 runs for the sixth wicket, but Hemantha’s run out at 82 for six ended the last realistic hope. Karan KC made eight before falling at 104 for seven, and Jahandad Khan’s unbeaten five off seven balls could not close the gap. Kathmandu needed 25 off the last 18 balls and managed only 17 of them.

Kathmandu Gorkhas batting	Runs	Balls	How out
Sam Heazlett	11	7	run out (Fabian Allen)
Bhim Sharki	0	1	c Aarif Sheikh b Kuggeleijn
Mohammad Aadil Alam	8	24	c Anil Kharel b Fabian Allen
Santosh Yadav	10	19	c Kuggeleijn b Anil Kharel
Sahan Arachchige	0	2	c Bhandari b Anil Kharel
Rashid Khan	35*	31	not out
Dushan Hemantha	21	18	run out (Fabian Allen/Bhandari)
Karan KC (c)	8	12	c Aarif Sheikh b Hemant Dhami
Jahandad Khan	5*	7	not out

Extras added 20 runs to Kathmandu’s total. The fall of wickets tells the story of the chase: 6/1, 12/2, 41/3, 44/4, 48/5, 82/6, 104/7.

Kharel and Kuggeleijn lead the Royals bowling

Anil Kharel was the pick of the Sudurpaschim bowlers, taking two for 18 in his four overs, including the wickets of Santosh Yadav and Sahan Arachchige in quick succession. Scott Kuggeleijn was the most economical bowler of the match, conceding just 15 runs in four overs for the wicket of Bhim Sharki, while Hemant Dhami took one for 25 and Fabian Allen one for 32. Tharindu Rathnayake went wicketless for 20 runs in his four overs but kept the pressure on during the middle overs.

Fabian Allen also made his mark in the field with two run outs, including the key dismissals of Heazlett early and Hemantha late in the chase. Sudurpaschim’s fielding, so often the difference in low-scoring games, was sharp when it mattered most.

Key turning points in the Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim NPL match

The first turning point came in the opening overs of the match. Kathmandu’s bowlers had Sudurpaschim at 8 for 4, but Jahandad Khan and Santosh Yadav could not take the fifth wicket quickly enough, and Airee’s two fifty-run partnerships doubled the total.

The second came in Kathmandu’s chase, when the Gorkhas slipped to 48 for five in the tenth over. Aadil Alam’s 24-ball eight consumed 40 deliveries of the innings without scoring, and by the time Rashid Khan and Hemantha started finding boundaries, the required rate had climbed past 12 an over.

The third was Hemantha’s run out at 82 for six in the 15th over. Kathmandu still needed 44 off 31 balls with four wickets in hand, and the dismissal of the set batter, with Rashid Khan stranded at the other end, effectively ended the chase.

What the result means for the NPL 2026 playoffs race

Sudurpaschim Royals are the second team to qualify for the NPL 2026 playoffs, following Lumbini Lions, who had already secured their place. The seven-run win also continued the Royals’ strong run in the tournament, coming after their 27-run victory over Janakpur Bolts in Match 21.

For Kathmandu Gorkhas, the defeat is a setback after their 10-run win over Chitwan Rhinos in their previous match. The Gorkhas had the game in their hands twice, first when they reduced Sudurpaschim to 8 for 4 and again when they had the chase under control early, but they let both chances slip. With the playoffs race tightening, Kathmandu now need results to go their way in their remaining league games.

The win also underlines Sudurpaschim’s balance. Their batting rescued them from a collapse through their captain, and their bowling defended a below-par total through Kharel’s control and Allen’s fielding. That combination is exactly what wins low-scoring playoff games.

What’s next in NPL 2026

Friday’s double-header continues at the same venue with Match 25, Janakpur Bolts vs Chitwan Rhinos, later in the evening. Sudurpaschim will now look to carry this momentum into the playoffs, while Kathmandu must regroup quickly for their next league fixture. Keep following the NPL 2026 today match page for the latest fixtures, timings and results.

For more NPL 2026 result coverage, read Biratnagar’s four-wicket win over Pokhara and Lumbini’s four-wicket win over Karnali.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim NPL 2026 Match 24?

Sudurpaschim Royals won by seven runs, defending 125 for six against Kathmandu Gorkhas’ 118 for seven at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

Who was the top scorer in the Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim match?

Sudurpaschim captain Dipendra Singh Airee top-scored with 60 off 55 balls, his third half-century in the Nepal Premier League. Rashid Khan was Kathmandu’s top scorer with 35 not out off 31 balls.

Did Sudurpaschim qualify for the NPL 2026 playoffs?

Yes. Sudurpaschim Royals became the second team to qualify for the NPL 2026 playoffs with this win, after Lumbini Lions.