T20-LEAGUE

KAY vs LUL NPL 2026: Short 46 and 2/13, Lumbini Win by 4 Wkts

Published on November 12, 2026

Summary Overview: Lumbini Lions beat Karnali Yaks by 4 wickets with 20 balls to spare in NPL 2026 match 23 at Kirtipur. Player of the Match D'Arcy Short took 2 for 13 as Karnali were bowled out for 105, then made 46 off 34. Mark Watt's 4 for 12 for Karnali was not enough.

Who won? Lumbini Lions, by 4 wickets with 20 balls to spare at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Karnali Yaks were bowled out for 105 in 19.2 overs, and Lumbini reached 107 for 6 in 16.4 overs.

Who starred? Australia's D'Arcy Short took 2 for 13 from four overs, then top-scored with 46 off 34, and was named Player of the Match. Captain Rohit Paudel took 2 for 12, and Kishor Mahato 2 for 6.

What about Karnali? Mark Watt took 4 for 12 from four overs, including a maiden, and Sompal Kami hit 28 off 18. But Karnali were 15 for 4 in the fifth over and never recovered.

What does it mean? The defending champions bounce back from their first defeat. Karnali, now captained by David Miller, have lost four in a row.

Match Report: Lumbini Too Strong

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). The first six overs are the powerplay, when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle. A maiden is an over in which no runs are scored off the bat.

Karnali's Innings: 15 for 4

Karnali captain David Miller won the toss and chose to bat, and it went wrong quickly. Abhishesh Gautam bowled Dipendra Rawat for 0 in the first over and Deepak Dumre (4) in the third, and Kishor Mahato had Ariful Islam (4) caught by Paudel. When Sher Malla had Miller (5) caught by Ruben Trumpelmann, Karnali were 15 for 4, and they made 30 for 4 in the powerplay.

Sompal Kami hit back with four fours and a six in 28 off 18, adding 40 off 22 balls with Pawan Sarraf. But Short had Sompal caught by Aasif Sheikh and later bowled Sarraf (12 off 24), and Paudel removed Mark Watt. Karnali were 69 for 7.

Hussain Talat (24 off 22) and Gulshan Jha (13) added 27, before Paudel bowled Talat. Trumpelmann removed Jha, Mahato bowled Nandan Yadav, and Karnali were all out for 105 with four balls unused.

Lumbini's Chase: Short Guides Them Home

Mark Watt made Lumbini work for it. He trapped Aasif Sheikh (1) lbw and had Paudel (1 off 11) caught by Ariful, and Sarraf had Sundeep Jora caught. Lumbini were 19 for 3 in the fifth over.

D'Arcy Short steadied the chase, adding 41 off 28 balls with Niroshan Dickwella (16), before Watt had Dickwella caught by Bipin Sharma. Short hit six fours and a six in 46 off 34 before Hussain Talat bowled him at 79 for 5. Watt then removed Shamim Hossain to finish with 4 for 12, but Dilip Nath (28 not out off 27) saw Lumbini home with 20 balls to spare.

Turning Point: Karnali's Powerplay Collapse

Losing four wickets for 15 runs in the first five overs, including their captain, left Karnali with too much to do. Sompal's 28 and Talat's 24 helped, but 105 gave Lumbini a target they could chase calmly.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
D'Arcy Short	Lumbini Lions	46 (34), 6 fours, 1 six, and 2 for 13 (4 overs), Player of the Match
Rohit Paudel (c)	Lumbini Lions	2 for 12 (3 overs), plus a catch
Kishor Mahato	Lumbini Lions	2 for 6 (2.2 overs)
Abhishesh Gautam	Lumbini Lions	2 for 21 (4 overs)
Dilip Nath	Lumbini Lions	28* (27), 4 fours
Ruben Trumpelmann	Lumbini Lions	1 for 20 (3 overs), plus two catches
Mark Watt	Karnali Yaks	4 for 12 (4 overs, 1 maiden)
Sompal Kami	Karnali Yaks	28 (18), 4 fours, 1 six, plus a catch
Hussain Talat	Karnali Yaks	24 (22), and 1 for 13

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Rawat out in the first over	Karnali 0 for 1 (0.4 overs)
Karnali's early collapse	15 for 4 (4.3 overs)
Sompal and Sarraf stand	40 off 22 balls for the 5th wicket
Karnali all out	105 (19.2 overs)
Watt's early wickets	Lumbini 19 for 3 (4.3 overs)
Short and Dickwella stand	41 off 28 balls for the 4th wicket
Short bowled	79 for 5 (13.3 overs)
Lumbini win	107 for 6 (16.4 overs)

Powerplay Comparison

Team	First 6 overs
Karnali Yaks	30 for 4
Lumbini Lions	32 for 3

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
Lumbini Lions	D'Arcy Short, Aasif Sheikh, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Sundeep Jora, Dilip Nath, Shamim Hossain, Ruben Trumpelmann, Abhishesh Gautam, Sher Malla, Kishor Mahato
Karnali Yaks	Dipendra Rawat, Ariful Islam, Deepak Dumre (wk), David Miller (c), Pawan Sarraf, Sompal Kami, Hussain Talat, Mark Watt, Gulshan Jha, Nandan Yadav, Bipin Sharma

Changes: Lumbini brought in Shamim Hossain and Kishor Mahato for Grant Stewart and Tilak Bhandari. Karnali brought in Dipendra Rawat, Hussain Talat and Bipin Sharma for Jishan Alam, Surya Tamang and Yuvraj Khatri, and David Miller took over the captaincy from Sompal Kami.

What's Next

Match	Date	Fixture	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	PKT	ET
24th Match	Fri, Nov 13	Kathmandu Gurkhas vs Sudurpaschim Royals	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	11:45 AM	1:45 AM
25th Match	Fri, Nov 13	Janakpur Bolts vs Chitwan Rhinos	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM
26th Match	Sat, Nov 14	Biratnagar Kings vs Lumbini Lions	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	4:15 PM	6:15 AM
27th Match	Sun, Nov 15	Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	11:45 AM	1:45 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 and may change.