T20-LEAGUE

JAB vs LUL NPL 2026: Lumbini Win by 16 Runs, Go Top of Table

Published on November 5, 2026

Summary Overview: Lumbini Lions beat Janakpur Bolts by 16 runs in NPL 2026 at Kirtipur to go top of the table, still unbeaten. Player of the Match Rohit Paudel made 38 and bowled four overs for 18, D'Arcy Short took 3 for 23, and Janakpur collapsed from 53 for 2 to 56 for 6 chasing 150.

Who won? Lumbini Lions, by 16 runs at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Lumbini made 149 for 8, and Janakpur Bolts finished on 133 for 8.

Who starred? Captain Rohit Paudel made 38 off 31 and then bowled four overs for just 18 runs, and was named Player of the Match. D'Arcy Short took 3 for 23, and Tilak Bhandari took 2 for 5 from two overs.

What went wrong for Janakpur? They were 53 for 2 in the ninth over, then lost four wickets for 3 runs and slumped to 56 for 6. Captain Harmeet Singh (33) and Aaditya Mahata (30 not out) hit seven sixes between them, but the damage was done.

Where does it leave the teams? Lumbini are top of the table and still unbeaten, with three wins and a no result from four games. Janakpur have now lost two in a row.

Match Report: Lumbini Defend 149

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 runs when it bats first and the other side cannot reach its total.

Lumbini's Innings: Paudel Holds It Together

Janakpur captain Harmeet Singh won the toss and chose to bowl, and Lalit Rajbanshi struck with the first ball of the match, having D'Arcy Short caught by Rahul Yadav for a golden duck.

Aasif Sheikh (21) and Niroshan Dickwella (27) rebuilt with 43, but Lumbini made only 39 in the powerplay. Harmeet trapped Aasif lbw, and Bishal Shusling removed Dickwella and Dilip Nath (21 off 15, two sixes) to finish with 2 for 21.

Captain Rohit Paudel anchored the innings with 38 off 31, including four fours and a six, before Abhishek Tiwari had him caught at 117 for 5 in the 18th over. Rahul Yadav took two quick wickets, but Ruben Trumpelmann hit two sixes in 15 off 8 before he was run out off the final ball. Lumbini finished on 149 for 8, scoring 32 runs in the last 16 balls.

Janakpur's Chase: Four Wickets for 3 Runs

Trumpelmann trapped Bangladesh's Parvez Hossain Emon lbw for 1 in the second over, but Trit Raj Das (18) and Saif Hassan (28) added 36, and Janakpur were 53 for 2 in the ninth over.

Then the chase fell apart. D'Arcy Short trapped Saif lbw, Tilak Bhandari bowled Anil Sah and had Bishal Shusling caught, and Short had Abhishek Tiwari caught for a duck. Janakpur lost four wickets for 3 runs and were 56 for 6. Sher Malla then had James Neesham (9) stumped, leaving them 65 for 7.

Harmeet Singh and Aaditya Mahata fought back with 43 off 29 balls. Harmeet hit three sixes in 33 off 20 before Malla bowled him, and Mahata hit four sixes in 30 not out off 24. But Janakpur needed too much, and finished 16 runs short.

Turning Point: Janakpur's Middle-Overs Collapse

At 53 for 2, needing 97 from 68 balls, Janakpur were well placed. In the space of 12 balls, Short and Bhandari took four wickets for 3 runs. Even the late sixes from Harmeet and Mahata could not make up for that collapse.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Rohit Paudel (c)	Lumbini Lions	38 (31), 4 fours, 1 six, and 0 for 18 (4 overs), Player of the Match
D'Arcy Short	Lumbini Lions	3 for 23 (4 overs)
Tilak Bhandari	Lumbini Lions	2 for 5 (2 overs)
Sher Malla	Lumbini Lions	2 for 29 (4 overs)
Ruben Trumpelmann	Lumbini Lions	15 (8), 2 sixes, and 1 for 30
Bishal Shusling	Janakpur Bolts	2 for 21 (4 overs)
Rahul Yadav	Janakpur Bolts	2 for 17 (2 overs)
Harmeet Singh (c)	Janakpur Bolts	33 (20), 3 sixes, and 1 for 25
Aaditya Mahata	Janakpur Bolts	*30 (24)**, 4 sixes

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Short out first ball	Lumbini 0 for 1
Lumbini's slow powerplay	39 for 1 (6 overs)
Paudel falls	117 for 5 (17.2 overs)
Lumbini total	149 for 8 (20 overs)
Janakpur well placed	53 for 2 (8.4 overs)
Four wickets for 3 runs	53 for 2 to 56 for 6
Harmeet and Mahata stand	43 off 29 balls for the 8th wicket
Janakpur finish	133 for 8 (20 overs)

Powerplay Comparison

Team	First 6 overs
Lumbini Lions	39 for 1
Janakpur Bolts	40 for 1

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
Lumbini Lions	Aasif Sheikh, D'Arcy Short, Rohit Paudel (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sundeep Jora, Shamim Hossain, Dilip Nath, Ruben Trumpelmann, Kishor Mahato, Sher Malla, Tilak Bhandari
Janakpur Bolts	Parvez Hossain Emon, Trit Raj Das, Anil Sah (wk), Saif Hassan, Bishal Shusling, James Neesham, Harmeet Singh (c), Abhishek Tiwari, Aaditya Mahata, Rahul Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi

Changes: Lumbini brought in Dilip Nath for Abhishesh Gautam. Janakpur brought in Parvez Hossain Emon and Aaditya Mahata for Moeen Ali and Amar Singh Rautela, with Moeen on the bench.

What's Next

Match	Date	Fixture	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	PKT	ET
15th Match	Thu, Nov 5	Kathmandu Gurkhas vs Biratnagar Kings	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM
18th Match	Sat, Nov 7	Kathmandu Gurkhas vs Lumbini Lions	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM
21st Match	Tue, Nov 10	Sudurpaschim Royals vs Janakpur Bolts	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). Evening start times are from the official schedule; check on match day.