Defending champions Lumbini Lions continued their unbeaten run in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) after a convincing 16-run victory over inaugural champions Janakpur Bolts at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground on Thursday.

With the win, Lumbini moved to the top of the table with seven points from three wins out of four matches, keeping their hopes of an early play-off qualification firmly on track. 

The defending champions are now on a nine-match winning streak in the NPL, stretching across season two and season three. Having set a target of 150 runs after being invited to bat first, the Lions produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Janakpur to 133/8 in 20 overs.

The Bolts got off to a shaky start after Parvez Hossain Emon was dismissed for just one off five balls by Ruben Trumpelmann. Janakpur scored 40 runs in the powerplay, but they kept losing wickets at crucial moments. Opener Trit Raj Das scored 18 off 18 balls before departing, while Bishal Sushling and Anil Sah fell for four and one respectively. Abhishek Tiwari's dismissal for a duck further deepened Janakpur's troubles.

With the top order back in the pavilion, captain Harmeet Singh and Aaditya Mahata attempted to revive the chasewith aggressive strokeplay adding 43 runs for the eighth wicket. 

Singh smashed three sixes in his 33 off 20 balls, while Mahata remained not out with 30 off 24 balls, including 

four sixes.

However, Sher Malla broke the partnership with the crucial dismissal of Harmeet, bringing an end to Janakpur's fightback.

The Bolts needed 27 runs from the final six balls, leaving them with a mountain to climb.

 Lumbini held their nerve in the closing stages to seal another important victory and maintain their unbeaten record. D'Arcy Short's three-wicket haul and Sher Malla's two wickets highlighted Lumbini's bowling dominance.

Earlier, the defending champions suffered an immediate setback when opener D'Arcy Short was caught by young Rahul Yadav off Lalit Rajbanshi's bowling for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. 

The Lions struggled to find their footing, scoring just nine runs in the first three overs.

Aasif Sheikh and Niroshan Dickwella tried to steady the innings with a 43-run second-wicket stand. However, Janakpur captain Singh trapped Sheikh lbw in the seventh over for a run-a-ball 21. Dickwella, who added a run-a-ball 27, returned to the dugout in the 10th over.

Captain Rohit Paudel and Dilip Nath attempted to rebuild the innings with a 37-run partnership, but Janakpur kept the pressure on. Nath, who scored 21 off 15 balls, fell to Bishal Sushling after being caught by Anil Sah, leaving the Lions at 90/4 after 14 overs.

Before falling to the bowling of Abhishek Tiwari in the 18th over, Paudel also put together a 30-run partnership with Shamim Hossain. Paudel chipped in with a composed 38 off 31 balls, including four fours and a six, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Ruben Trumpelmann (15 off six balls), last season's Player of the Series, provided a late flourish by striking two consecutive sixes in the final over before being dismissed off the last ball. His late assault helped Lumbini finish with a competitive 149/8 in 20 overs.

Janakpur's young Rahul Yadav continued to impress with the ball, taking his tally to eight wickets to become the first bowler to reach that milestone this season.

Reflecting on his team's performance, Paudel said consistency had been the key to Lumbini's impressive run this season. "We targeted 160, but 150 proved enough to win the game. D'Arcy played a significant role in today's match, and we hope to continue this form," he said.

Janakpur captain Harmeet Singh admitted that his side's fielding had let them down. "We were very sloppy in the field and gave away boundaries. If we had restricted them to 130, we could have won the game," he said.

Kathmandu thump Biratnagar 

Kathmandu Gorkhas won their second cricket match of the season in style on Thursday. 

They crushed Biratnagar Kings by nine wickets. This big win moved Kathmandu up to second place in the tournament table.

Kathmandu’s bowlers were in fantastic form from the start. They bowled out Biratnagar Kings for just 83 runs. Young spin bowler Santosh Yadav was the star of the show. 

He took three wickets, including a brilliant hat-trick. Kathmandu captain Karan KC and Sahan Arachchige also helped out by taking two wickets each.

Biratnagar had a terrible start to their innings. Their top batters struggled, and they quickly found themselves in real trouble at 35 runs for seven wickets. 

Only three of their players managed to score ten runs or more. Rupesh Singh top-scored with 26 runs, while former Sri Lanka star Angelo Mathews scored 22. Together, they added 39 runs to help their team reach a final total of 83.

Kathmandu made light work of chasing down the small target. They lost opener Sahil Patel early for just 10 runs, but that was Biratnagar's only success. Famous Australian batsman David Warner then teamed up with William Bosisto to take Kathmandu to victory without any more losses.

Warner batted brilliantly, smashing 44 runs off just 24 balls, including three big sixes and two fours. 

Bosisto supported him well with a steady 23 runs. The pair put on an unbeaten 69-run partnership, reaching the target of 86 runs in less than ten overs.

It was a complete performance from Kathmandu, who dominated the game with both the ball and the bat.