T20-LEAGUE

CHR vs SPR NPL 2026: McMullen 43, Sudurpaschim Win by 5 Wkts

Published on November 2, 2026

Summary Overview: Sudurpaschim Royals beat Chitwan Rhinos by 5 wickets with 20 balls to spare in NPL 2026 at Kirtipur. Player of the Match Brandon McMullen hit 43 off 21 in the chase of 130, after Anil Kharel and Scott Kuggeleijn held Chitwan to 129 for 6. Ravi Bopara made 49.

Who won? Sudurpaschim Royals, by 5 wickets with 20 balls to spare at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Chitwan Rhinos made 129 for 6, and Sudurpaschim reached 131 for 5 in 16.4 overs.

Who starred? Scotland's Brandon McMullen hit 43 off 21 balls, with six fours and two sixes, and was named Player of the Match. Anil Kharel took 1 for 18 in four overs, and Scott Kuggeleijn took 2 for 26.

What about Chitwan? Ravi Bopara made 49 off 40, one short of a fifty, and Ranjit Kumar took 3 for 28, including two wickets in two balls. Chitwan's total was too small.

Match Report: Sudurpaschim Get It Done Early

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). A team wins by wickets when it chases down the target; "5 wickets" means Sudurpaschim had five of their ten wickets left.

Chitwan's Innings: Bopara Holds It Together

Sudurpaschim captain Dipendra Singh Airee won the toss and chose to bowl, and his bowlers kept Chitwan quiet from the start. Hemant Dhami trapped Dev Khanal lbw in the second over, and Scott Kuggeleijn bowled Arjun Saud for 15. Chitwan made just 39 in the powerplay.

Ravi Bopara and Dawid Malan added 35 off 30 balls, but Malan struggled for timing and was caught off Airee for 16 off 17. Chitwan were 62 for 3 at the halfway point.

Captain Sikandar Raza also found it hard to get going, making 15 off 20 before Anil Kharel had him caught. Bopara kept going and hit three fours and two sixes, but Kuggeleijn had him caught by Airee for 49 off 40, one run short of his fifty. Bibek Yadav (17 off 15) was run out off the last ball, and Chitwan finished on 129 for 6.

Kharel's 4 overs for 18 runs was the tightest spell of the innings.

Sudurpaschim's Chase: McMullen Goes Big

Rijan Dhakal bowled Saif Zaib in the second over, but Brandon McMullen took the game away from Chitwan. He added 31 off 15 balls with Binod Bhandari (11 off 7), and 36 off 16 with Ishan Pandey. Sudurpaschim raced to 66 for 2 in the powerplay, 27 more than Chitwan.

Ranjit Kumar then struck twice in two balls in the seventh over. Dev Khanal caught McMullen for 43 off 21, and Ranjit bowled Airee for a first-ball duck. Sudurpaschim were 70 for 4.

There was no collapse. Ishan Pandey (25) and Aarif Sheikh added 33, and after Mousom Dhakal trapped Pandey lbw, West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford hit 21 not out off 15 with Sheikh (20 not out) to finish the chase in the 17th over.

Turning Point: The Powerplay Gap

Chitwan made 39 for 2 in their first six overs. Sudurpaschim made 66 for 2 in theirs, with McMullen scoring most of them. On a day when runs were hard to come by after the powerplay, that 27-run gap meant Sudurpaschim could afford to lose two quick wickets and still win comfortably.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Brandon McMullen	Sudurpaschim Royals	43 (21), 6 fours, 2 sixes, Player of the Match
Anil Kharel	Sudurpaschim Royals	1 for 18 (4 overs)
Scott Kuggeleijn	Sudurpaschim Royals	2 for 26 (4 overs)
Dipendra Singh Airee (c)	Sudurpaschim Royals	1 for 16 (3 overs), plus a catch and a run-out
Sherfane Rutherford	Sudurpaschim Royals	21* (15), 2 fours, 1 six
Ravi Bopara	Chitwan Rhinos	49 (40), 3 fours, 2 sixes
Ranjit Kumar	Chitwan Rhinos	3 for 28 (4 overs)
Bibek Yadav	Chitwan Rhinos	17 (15)

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Chitwan's slow start	39 for 2 (6 overs)
Chitwan at halfway	62 for 3 (9.4 overs)
Bopara falls one short	113 for 5 (18.1 overs)
Chitwan total	129 for 6 (20 overs)
McMullen's blitz	Sudurpaschim 66 for 2 (6 overs)
Ranjit's two in two balls	70 for 2 to 70 for 4
Sheikh and Rutherford finish	28* off 23 balls for the 6th wicket
Sudurpaschim win	131 for 5 (16.4 overs)

Powerplay Comparison

Team	First 6 overs
Chitwan Rhinos	39 for 2
Sudurpaschim Royals	66 for 2

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
Chitwan Rhinos	Dev Khanal, Dawid Malan, Arjun Saud (wk), Ravi Bopara, Sikandar Raza (c), Mousom Dhakal, Ranjit Kumar, Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Tom Taylor, Bibek Yadav
Sudurpaschim Royals	Sherfane Rutherford, Saif Zaib, Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Aarif Sheikh, Scott Kuggeleijn, Binod Bhandari (wk), Brandon McMullen, Ishan Pandey, Anil Kharel, Hemant Dhami, Abinash Bohara

Sikandar Raza captained Chitwan, with Kushal Malla on the bench.

What's Next

Match	Date	Fixture	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	PKT	ET
12th Match	Tue, Nov 3	Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	11:45 AM	1:45 AM
13th Match	Tue, Nov 3	Lumbini Lions vs Pokhara Avengers	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM
16th Match	Fri, Nov 6	Sudurpaschim Royals vs Karnali Yaks	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	11:45 AM	1:45 AM
17th Match	Fri, Nov 6	Chitwan Rhinos vs Pokhara Avengers	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM

All matches at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. NPT is Nepal Time (UTC+5:45). ET is US Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5). Times are from the official schedule; check on match day, as this game started at 4:30 PM NPT.