Sudurpaschim Royals’ head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and skipper Dipendra Singh Airee expressed confidence in their ability in bouncing back after a stinging loss against Lumbini Lions in the opener of the third season of the Nepal Premier League on Monday. And they did exactly that when they faced Pokhara Avengers on Wednesday.
The Royals chased Avengers’ target of 146 with ease—with six wickets and 19 deliveries in hand.
Winning the toss, skipper Airee elected to field first.
Arjun Gharti (40 off 25) was the highest scorer for the Avengers, followed by Bangladeshi all-rounder Mahedi Hasan (32 off 21) and skipper Kushal Bhurtel (21 off 17).
Anil Kharel picked three wickets, while Hemant Dhami, Scott Kuggeleijn and Airee took one each for the Royals as the Avengers were restricted to 145/7 in the first innings.
In turn, the Royals did not have quite the start they wanted in the second innings with the bat. They lost opener Binod Bhandari (4 off 2) in the first over, and then Brandon McMullen (22 off 12) as the second wicket in the fifth over. Saif Zaib (15 off 16) fell victim to a run out following a confusion with Airee.
However, Airee stood for the moment. A 74-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Airee and Pandey made sure that the Royals were as close as possible to the win. When Pandey (37 off 31) departed in the third ball of the 16th over, the Royals were at 130, only 16 runs behind the total.
“We used to suffer defeat at the end in the last two seasons,” Pandey said in the post-match press conference. “I think that bad luck is now gone with the loss in the first game. We aim to keep winning our remaining matches.”
Airee, who went on to complete his half century, then helped end the chase with Sherfane Rutherford. Airee, who was dropped by Dhananjaya Lakshan at 39, stayed not out at 51 off 36, with four fours and two sixes.
Royals, the two-time NPL finalists, will face Biratnagar Kings in their next match on Saturday. Avengers, meanwhile, will play against Janakpur on Sunday.
“We believe we will make a comeback in the next match,” Bhurtel said in the post-match presentation. “I believe we have a good squad that can help us enter the playoffs this time.”
Pokhara are the only team in the NPL that has not been able to reach the playoffs in the first two seasons.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s double header will see Janakpur face Kathmandu Gorkhas, followed by Biratnagar vs Karnali.
Nayak Paudel covers sports for The Kathmandu Post. He previously worked at the Post (2018–19) and spent over five years at The Rising Nepal. His reporting spans crime, health, education, and social issues.
