There is a big difference between Tribhuvan Army Club and Sudurpaschim Province in the final of the Prime Minister's Cup Men's National Cricket Tournament on Friday. This is the eighth edition of the tournament. 

Army has been playing the final of all editions. In contrast, Sudurpaschim is playing the final for the first time. This is the first time in the history of the PM Cup cricket, which is dominated by departmental teams, that a provincial team is playing the final. This history has been made by Sudurpaschim. If Sudurpaschim wins the title at the TB Shah Cricket Ground in Birgunj, Sudurpaschim will write another history. 

Three days ago, Sudurpaschim defeated the defending champion Nepal Police Club to secure a place in the final. In the round-robin league, Sudurpaschim won 6 out of 9 matches and lost 3. In the league, Army easily won by 7 wickets, bowling out Sudurpaschim for 150 runs. Army has always won the match against Sudurpaschim. 

Fast bowler Hemant Dhami and captain Sher Malla are the two main players who have taken Sudurpaschim to the final. Hemant and Bagmati Province captain Sandeep Lamichhane have taken the most wickets with 25, while Sher is following them with 22 wickets. Then, Ashok Dhami is the highest wicket-taker from Sudurpaschim. He has 9 wickets. 

Sudurpaschim has been a weak team in the history of the PM Cup. In the first edition of the tournament in 2017, when the participants were divided into two groups, Sudurpaschim played 3 matches. They could not win any match, lost 2 of them and 1 match was cancelled. In 2018, after winning 2 out of 4 matches, losing 1 and canceling 1 match, the team failed to reach the semi-finals, falling behind Lumbini Province in net run rate.

In 2019, Sudurpaschim won only 1 out of 4 matches and lost 2. In 2021, it won only 1 out of 4 matches and lost 3. In 2022, Sudur also won only 1 out of 4 matches. From 2024, the competition was played on a round-robin league basis. In that, Sudurpaschim won 4 and lost 5 matches in 9 matches, and in 2025, it won three matches and lost 6 matches. 

Despite playing in the finals of all editions, Army has won only twice. In the 2017 final, the team was joint winner with Nepal Police Club. In 2021, Army became the clear winner for the first time by defeating Nepal APF Club. If Army defeats Sudurpaschim this time, Police will come close to the record of winning the title the most times 4 times. 

Army is dominated by players from Sudurpaschim. Along with captain Binod Bhandari, Bhim Sarki, Arjun Saud, Naren Saud and Akash Chand are players from Sudurpaschim. While Army won 8 out of 9 matches played in the league stage, one match was drawn. Undefeated Army reached the finals at the top of the points table with 17 points. Army has been impressive throughout the tournament due to its balanced batting and disciplined bowling. The presence of experienced players in the team led by Binod is seen as a strong point. With players like Kushal Malla and Shahab Alam in excellent form, Army has emerged as a contender in the finals. 

Sudur captain Sher has also led his team in a balanced way. The team's bowlers have been performing well recently, which is expected to make the finals competitive. Police, on the other hand, failed to reach the finals this time. Police, who are limited to fifth place in the table with 9 points, have been relatively weak in this edition. Police, who have won consecutive titles in the previous two editions, have failed to maintain their form this time. The presence of experienced and international players in the finals is seen as decisive. Along with Army captain Binod, Kushal and Shahab have strengthened the team, while players like captain Sher and Hemant Dhami in Sudurpaschim are in excellent form.