NPL showdown: Kathmandu Gorkhas take on Sudurpaschim Royals today

Kathmandu: Kathmandu Gorkhas will face former runners-up Sudurpaschim Royals today in the Nepal Premier League (NPL), seeking their second win of the tournament, while Sudurpaschim aims for a strong start.

Kathmandu defeated former champions Janakpur Bolts in the opening match and is led by Karan KC. The team includes Bhim Sarki, Mohammad Adil Alam, Shahab Alam, Ben Charlesworth, Gerhard Erasmus, Dipesh Kandel, Milind Kumar, Rashid Khan, Uttam Thapa Magar (wicketkeeper), Sunny Patel, John Simpson (wicketkeeper), Prateek Shrestha, Akash Tripathi, Tul Bahadur Thapa, Ricardo Vasconcelos (wicketkeeper), Santosh Yadav, and Sonu Devkota. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 pm.

Sudurpaschim Royals, captained by Dipendra Singh Airee, vice-captain of the Nepali national team, will field Binod Bhandari (wicketkeeper), Avinash Bohara, Deepak Bohara (wicketkeeper), Milan Bohara, Josh Brown, Hemant Dhami, Scott Kuggeilin, Chris Lynn, Ishan Pandey, Tek Rawat (wicketkeeper), Naren Saud, Harmit Singh, Arif Sheikh, Dipendra Thapa (wicketkeeper), and Himmat Mahara.

Kathmandu is coached by former Nepali national team coach Monty Desai, while Sudurpaschim is led by coach Jagat Tamata. The tournament, organized by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), features eight participating teams and has been underway since Mangshir 1.