Biratnagar Kings defeated Sudurpaschim Royals by 6 wickets and secured a place in Qualifier 1 of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket after Sam Hazlett and Faf du Plessis added 97 runs in 7 overs.

Sudurpaschim, who were invited to bat after winning the toss on Saturday, scored 147 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur. Biratnagar had to complete this target in 13.4 overs to surpass Kathmandu Gorkhas in the points table. Biratnagar scored 150 runs in 11.5 overs.

Sudurpaschim had already reached Qualifier 1 with 12 points. Although Biratnagar and Kathmandu have the same 10 points, Biratnagar has decided to qualify on net run rate after winning a landslide victory over Sudurpaschim. Sudurpaschim and Biratnagar will play in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday to secure a place in the final. Kathmandu will play Lumbini Lions in the playoffs on Wednesday.

Biratnagar made its objective clear by scoring 126 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 10 overs. Biratnagar scored 87 runs in the first 6 overs. This is the highest score in the NPL in the power play. Pokhara Avengers scored 80 runs in the first 6 overs against Lumbini Lions last year.

Right-handed batsman Du Plessis scored 50 runs in 19 balls and was out in the next ball. This is the second-lowest half-century in the NPL. Last year, Janakpur Bolts' Jimmy Neesam scored a half-century in 18 balls against Chitwan Rhinos. In the same tournament, Kathmandu's Bhim Sarki scored a half-century in 19 balls against Pokhara and Sudurpaschim's Harmit Singh scored a half-century in 19 balls against Kathmandu.

Du Plessis hit 4 fours and a six in a single over against Sudurpaschim captain Deependra Singh Airi. He hit a total of 5 fours and 4 sixes. Left-handed Hazlett scored 51 runs in 27 balls. He hit 3 fours and 4 sixes.

Martin Guptill hit 3 sixes and 22 runs in 9 balls and Bashir Ahmed was out for 8 runs. Biratnagar achieved the target within 12 overs after Pratish GC hit Avinash Bohara for two consecutive sixes. Pratish scored 13 runs in 3 balls and Lokesh Bam 3 runs in 4 balls and remained unbeaten. Sudurpaschim's Avinash and Harmit took 1 wicket each.

Earlier, Sudurpaschim scored 147 runs in the stipulated 20 overs after Arif Sheikh and Ishan Pandey put on a partnership of 72 runs. Sudurpaschim managed to overcome the difficult challenge after Arif and Ishan put on a solid partnership in 50 balls. After opening duo Binod Bhandari scored 15 runs in 13 balls with 3 fours and Jas Brown scored 24 runs in 25 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes, Arif and Ishan put on a crucial partnership for the third wicket.

Ishan scored 38 runs in 35 balls. He hit 2-2 fours and a six. Arif remained unbeaten by scoring 45 runs. He hit 1 four and 3 sixes in 32 balls. After Harmit Singh was dismissed in the first ball, captain Deependra Singh scored 19 runs in 11 balls, including 2 sixes.

Deepak Bohara was dismissed for 3 runs in 3 balls. Sandeep took 3 wickets from Biratnagar. He spent 20 runs in 4 overs. Pratish GC, who bowled only the last over, took 2 wickets for 4 runs. Bashir Ahmed had 1 wicket.

Pokhara succeeds in century partnership

After Adam Rossington and Arjun Kumal made a century partnership, Pokhara Avengers defeated Chitwan Rhinos by 8 wickets in the second boring match on Saturday.

After winning the toss, Chitwan, who came in to bat, could only score 120 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Pokhara achieved the target with 2 balls to secure fifth place. Rossington, who had scored the highest 323 runs in the tournament, was dismissed for 65 runs. He hit 4 fours and 5 sixes in 48 balls before being dismissed in the 15th over. Captain Kushal Bhurtel was out for 4 runs in 10 balls. Arjun, who was playing his first match in the competition, remained unbeaten on 43 runs in 53 balls. He hit 2 fours and 1 six. Jason Roy remained unbeaten on 6 runs in 8 balls. Chitwan's Saif Jaib and Region Dhakal took 1 wicket each. Both these teams had already been eliminated from the playoff race. Pokhara ended the competition with its third victory in 7 matches. Chitwan, who appeared to be a strong team, suffered its fifth defeat. Chitwan, who finished fourth last season, will be seventh after the final match of the league stage on Sunday. 

Chitwan had played the entire innings under pressure after losing 3 wickets in 7 runs. Arjun Saud and Ravi Bopara were out for 1-1 and David Malan was out for 5 runs. Jaib scored 17 runs in 18 balls, including 1 six. Dev Khanal scored the highest 35 runs. He hit 1 four and 1 six in 41 balls. Captain Kushal Malla scored 23 runs in 23 balls.

He could not hit any boundaries. Chitwan crossed 100 runs only after Ugandan player Alpes Ramjani scored 33 runs in 22 balls. Playing his first match, he hit 1 four and 2 sixes in 22 balls. Kamal Singh Airi remained unbeaten by scoring 2 runs in 3 balls. Dhananjay Lakshman, who was injured while bowling his own ball, could not complete his bowling quota. He took 3 wickets for 20 runs in 3.2 overs. Bipin Khatri, Kiran Thagunna and Rohit Chandan, who was playing his first match in the tournament, took 1 wicket each.

We played with a clear mindset: Faf du

We came to the match against Sudurpaschim with a clear mindset, even if we lost, we were sure to play the playoffs. After winning the toss, we had a strategy to chase the runs as per the required schedule. We had planned and set a target of 148 runs. There was one plan for the first 10 overs, then another.

Even though I have played cricket for a long time, there can be ambiguity in such a situation. That is why we had to make it clear. We had played with the intention of playing quickly from the beginning. Accordingly, we have mixed right-handed and left-handed batters and put them in the opening, and that also worked.

The audience here is excellent. The music also seemed to attract the audience well. It is a blessing for me to come and play in a beautiful country like Nepal. If we had batted first, the plan was to set a big target. But in such a situation, it is easy to bat in the second innings. Winning against a team like Sudurpaschim has made it clear that our team is also good.

Such a league is essential for any country. Playing with foreign players is equally important. It increases the experience of domestic players. I myself am impressed by Nepali players. Nepali players are very fast in fielding. Even though Nepali players are a little short in height, they hit big sixes.