The playoff race in the Nepal Premier League is down to the final three matches with just two days remaining. Janakpur Bolts are the only team to have confirmed their playoff spot, while Sudurpaschim Royals, Chitwan Rhinos, Kathmandu Gurkhas, and Karnali Yaks are all fighting for the remaining three spots. Biratnagar Kings, Pokhara Avengers, and Lumbini Lions have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Kathmandu Gurkhas will play Biratnagar Kings at 9 AM tomorrow, followed by Pokhara Avengers facing Sudurpaschim Royals at 1 PM. Karnali Yaks will play their final match against Sudurpaschim Royals on Monday at 9 AM, which will mark the conclusion of the league stage.
Sudurpaschim Royals
Sudurpaschim Royals, led by Dipendra Singh Airee, have been one of the strong contenders of the competition, currently standing at number two with four wins and one defeat, which came against Chitwan Rhinos. Saif Zaib has been the top run-getter for the Royals with 154 runs to his name from five innings, while Scott Kuggeleijn is the highest wicket-taker with 8 wickets from five matches.
The Royals have been a balanced side so far, but the only concern for them has been batting from the domestic batters. The batting is highly dependent on Saif Zaib and Brendon McMullen at the top, while captain Dipendra Singh Airee has been handling the middle-order batting issue himself with 140 runs in the tournament from five innings. If the domestic batters in the side start to fire, this team will be very difficult to beat in the knockout stages.
Sudurpaschim Royals are in a strong position to finish in the top two, thanks to their superior Net Run Rate. A win in any one match out of their two remaining matches will guarantee them a top-two finish. The Royals can only miss the top four if they lose both matches by a huge margin.
Chitwan Rhinos
With four wins and three defeats, the Rhinos are currently at number three in the points table. Ravi Bopara, with 279 runs from five innings, including two fifties, has been the backbone of this team’s batting lineup along with Kushal Malla, who has scored 202 runs. Ravi and Kushal have paired up for two fifty-run stands and one century stand in the competition so far.
The bowling attack, led by the experienced Sohail Tanveer, has been phenomenal, with Tanveer picking up 12 wickets so far, while Rijan Dhakal, with 13 wickets, is the joint-highest wicket-taker. More than half of the combined wickets of Rijan and Sohail have come in the first six overs. The only concern for Chitwan will be their poor batting, as players like Santosh Karki and Bipin Rawal need to step up with crucial matches ahead.
Chitwan Rhinos, after their impressive 32-run win over Janakpur Bolts, are almost confirmed to qualify for the top four. Their only way out of the top four is if Kathmandu Gurkhas win their last match by 142 runs or more, scoring 200 runs batting first, which is highly unlikely.
Kathmandu Gurkhas
Currently standing at number five with three wins and the same number of defeats, Kathmandu have had a decent outing so far. They have lacked consistency; in some matches, they have dominated, while in others they have looked below average.
It won’t be wrong to say that their batting lineup is fully dependent on the likes of Stephen Eskinazi, Gerhard Erasmus, and Michael Levitt, with Eskinazi being their highest run-scorer with 132 runs from six innings. Karan KC has been leading the bowling department with 11 wickets at an economy of 6.35.
If the Gurkhas qualify for the final four, their batters will need to step up to win the matches. Apart from their match against Pokhara Avengers, it won’t be wrong to say that the remaining two victories were secured more by good bowling rather than batting.
Kathmandu Gurkhas must win their final match to stay in contention. To qualify ahead of Karnali Yaks, they need to win by at least 70 runs and score 170 runs batting first. To surpass Chitwan Rhinos, they need to win by 142 runs and score 200 runs batting first.
Karnali Yaks
Karnali Yaks, the team which had the services of Indian legend Shikhar Dhawan for the first four matches, are currently standing at number four with three wins and two defeats. After losing their first two matches against Janakpur and Kathmandu, they went on to win four consecutive matches, the second team to do so after Janakpur Bolts, which gave them a late lifeline in the competition.
They are surely missing their top run-scorer, Dhawan, who scored 136 runs from four innings. Two spinners, William Bosisto and Bipin Sharma, have picked up eight wickets each, making them the highest wicket-takers for the Yaks.
Three out of their four victories have come in closely contested matches, starting with their first victory against Chitwan, followed by a seven-run victory against Biratnagar and a five-run win against Lumbini. The only match they won convincingly was against Biratnagar by seven wickets. We can say that the Yaks are one of those teams that can deliver under pressure situations, and if they make it into the top four with some good batting and bowling performances, they could emerge as the dark horse.
Karnali Yaks still have a strong chance to finish in the top two. A win by 12 runs while scoring 160 runs batting first will guarantee them a top-two finish. However, if Kathmandu Gurkhas win by 30 runs and score 170 runs, and the Yaks lose by 39 runs or more, they will be knocked out of the tournament.
Top Four Projection
1. Sudurpaschim Royals
2. Janakpur Bolts
3. Chitwan Rhinos
4. Karnali Yaks
The knockout stages will begin from 18th December, Wednesday, with the final taking place on 21st December, Saturday, at the TU International Cricket Ground.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.