Kathmandu: After a composed half-century from captain Dipendra Singh Airee, Sudurpaschim Royals have set Kathmandu Gorkhas a target of 126 runs in the Nepal Premier League (NPL). Batting first after losing the toss at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Sudurpaschim scored 125 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Dipendra was the top scorer with 60 runs, while Tharindu Ratnayake remained unbeaten on 26 and Aarif Sheikh contributed 16 runs.
Sudurpaschim were struggling at 8 runs for four wickets before Dipendra steadied the innings. Coming to the crease in the second over, he scored 60 off 55 balls with five fours and two sixes before being dismissed in the final over. This was Dipendra’s second half-century of the ongoing NPL. He had previously scored an unbeaten 51 against Pokhara Avengers. He is the second player to score two half-centuries in the tournament, after Kathmandu’s Rashid Khan.
Dipendra shared a crucial 54-run partnership with Aarif Sheikh for the fifth wicket. Aarif scored 16 off 25 balls, including one four. Dipendra then added another 54 runs with Tharindu Ratnayake for the sixth wicket. Ratnayake remained unbeaten on 26 off 23 balls, hitting three fours. For Kathmandu, Jahandad Khan took three wickets for 22 runs in four overs, including one maiden. Santosh Yadav claimed two wickets for 16 runs in three overs, dismissing Brandon McMullen and Ishan Pandey without allowing them to open their accounts in the second over.
