Nepal T20 League - Lumbini All Stars Beat Janakpur Royals In 1st Qualifier To Book A Place In The Final

Lumbini All Stars, on Sunday (January 8), beat Janakpur Royals by 6 runs in the first Qualifier to storm into the final of the ongoing Nepal T20 League 2022/23.

Chasing 144 for a place in the final, Janakpur Royals could only manage 137 for 7 in 20 overs. After skipper Trevon Griffith departed for 10, the Royals were comfortably placed at 34 for 1 in the 5th over before Sharafuddin Ashraf’s dismissal opened the floodgates.

The Royals suffered an inexplicable collapse and found themselves reeling at 45 for 5 from 34 for 1. Samiullah Shinwari and Rajesh Pulami then stopped the rot with a 30-run stand before the latter departed. Shinwari top-scored for his side, scoring 45 before being dismissed in the 19th over.

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QUALIFIER 1 – Lumbini All Stars vs Janakpur Royals

Player of the Match: Bipul Sharma (LAS) pic.twitter.com/Lc7bB8EG3n

— CAN (@CricketNep) January 8, 2023

Towards the end, Pawan Sarraf scored an unbeaten 30 off 19 balls but just could not take his team over the line. For the All Stars, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bipul Sharma and Sagar Dhakal picked up 2 wickets apiece.

Lumbini All Stars innings:

Earlier in the match, Lumbini All Stars scored 143 for 8 in the allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first. The table-toppers of Nepal T20 League 2022/23 overcame a poor start to post the competitive total.

Ashan Priyanjan dismissed in-form Harmeet Singh for a duck on the very first ball of the match to give the Royals a solid start with the ball. In his next over, he sent back Kushal Bhurtel (3) to leave the All Stars reeling at 7 for 2 in the third over.

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QUALIFIER 1 – Lumbini All Stars vs Janakpur Royals
– Match Summary pic.twitter.com/rmCwVlCbbk

— CAN (@CricketNep) January 8, 2023

Lahiru Milantha hit three fours but could not convert his start and departed for 16 before skipper Dipendra Singh Airee joined him in the pavilion after scoring just 8 as the All Stars found themselves 4 down for just 32 in the 7th over.

Ishan Pandey (38) and Anil Sah (24) then steadied the ship by sharing a 62-run stand for the fifth wicket. Griffith broke the stand by dismissing Sah. Pandey remained till the 18th over before being sent back by Sompal Kami. Bipul Sharma (20 off 13 balls) also played a fine cameo to guide his team to a good total.