NPL Points Table After Match 11: Sudurpaschim Third

Sudurpaschim Royals are third in the Nepal Premier League table after Match 11, climbing from seventh with a five-wicket win over Chitwan Rhinos, while Karnali Yaks stay top on net run rate.

Sudurpaschim Climb to Third After Match 11

The points table after Match 11 has a new team in the top three, and it is Sudurpaschim Royals. The Royals beat Chitwan Rhinos by five wickets in Monday evening's second match at Kirtipur, reaching 131 for 5 in 16.4 overs after Chitwan had posted 129 for 6. The two points lift Sudurpaschim from seventh to third, level on four points with the top two, and hand Chitwan their first defeat of the season.

Brandon McMullen set the chase alight with 43 off 21 balls, including six fours and two sixes, after Sudurpaschim had lost their first wicket with only three runs on the board. Ishan Pandey made 25 off 29 balls, and after McMullen and captain Dipendra Singh Airee fell off consecutive deliveries to leave the Royals at 70 for 4, Aarif Sheikh finished unbeaten on 20 off 26 balls alongside Sherfane Rutherford, unbeaten on 21 off 15. For Chitwan, Ravi Bopara top-scored with 49 off 40 balls, while Ranjit Kumar took three wickets for 28 runs.

That resolve was already visible after the Royals' first win of the season, against Pokhara Avengers, when Ishan Pandey spoke about shedding the habit of losing matches late. “We used to suffer defeat at the end in the last two seasons,” Pandey said in the post-match press conference. “I think that bad luck is now gone with the loss in the first game. We aim to keep winning our remaining matches.” Monday evening was the clearest evidence yet that the aim is being carried out: a chase that wobbled at 70 for 4 did not collapse.

Karnali Stay Top on Net Run Rate

Defeat on Monday afternoon has cost Karnali Yaks their unbeaten record, but not their place at the top. They remain first on four points from three matches, ahead of Janakpur Bolts on the same tally, because their net run rate of +0.295 is better than Janakpur's +0.141. When points are level, net run rate decides the order, and Karnali's two comfortable wins still outweigh one narrow defeat in which they posted 180 for 6 and took the chase into the final over.

Their captain, Sompal Kami, had set the tone after the win over Biratnagar Kings, when he told the post-match press conference that the points mattered more than his own performance. “More than my innings, these two points were very important for us. I hope we can maintain this winning momentum,” he said. That momentum has now been broken by Kathmandu, but the logic still holds: Karnali banked their points early, and that bank is what keeps them top even after a defeat.

Sompal also spoke in that press conference about why he plays the way he does. “I play cricket because I love it. If I play out of fear, I cannot enjoy it. So, I enjoy every ball and every moment,” he said. It is a revealing line from a captain whose side has now lost for the first time: Karnali will not retreat into caution after one defeat. Their next fixture, against Sudurpaschim Royals on November 6, is a direct contest between two sides on four points, and the winner will move outright clear at the top.

Lumbini Hold Fourth, Chitwan Slip to Fifth

Behind the three sides on four points, Lumbini Lions hold fourth place on three points, and Chitwan Rhinos slip to fifth on the same tally. The two sides are separated by a vast gap in net run rate: Lumbini's +4.599 is still the best in the league by a distance, built on bowling Sudurpaschim out for 87 in the season opener, while Chitwan's -0.486 reflects a season that began with an eight-run win over Biratnagar, included a shared point from Saturday's washout against Lumbini, and now includes a five-wicket defeat.

Lumbini's position is the most interesting in the middle of the table. They are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, with one win and one no result from two matches, which means they have a game in hand on every side above them. Two wins from their remaining five fixtures would put them on seven points, usually enough to be deep in the playoff conversation. Tuesday evening against Pokhara Avengers is their chance to turn a game in hand into two more points.

Biratnagar and Kathmandu in the Two-Point Group

Below the middle pair, two sides sit level on two points, and net run rate is already doing sharp work between them. Biratnagar Kings are sixth on two points from three matches at +0.544, a rate better than Chitwan's above them and better than every other two-point side. Kathmandu Gorkhas are seventh on two points from two matches at -0.466, after their first win of the season on Monday afternoon.

Kathmandu's win is the reason the bottom of the table moved at all before Match 11. Chasing 181 against Karnali, they reached 181 for 6 in 19.4 overs, with Rashid Khan making 50 off 33 balls and captain Karan KC smashing 44 off just 20. For a side bowled out for 115 in its first match, that chase changed the shape of their season: from the only side without a point to a side level on points with Biratnagar, and only one win from the top four.

Biratnagar's position is the more encouraging of the two, despite the extra defeat. They have already beaten Sudurpaschim in Saturday's rain-shortened five-over game, and their rate shows a side that scores heavily even in defeat. Tuesday morning against Janakpur is a top-four game in all but name: a win takes Biratnagar to four points and level with the leaders, while defeat leaves them chasing from sixth with four matches left.

Pokhara Bottom and Tuesday Stakes

At the foot of the table, Pokhara Avengers remain the only side without a point: zero from two matches, net run rate -0.934. Their problem is not their bowling, which held Janakpur to 147 in Match 9 and took seven wickets; it is a batting line-up that has twice failed to chase a gettable total, falling nine runs short against Janakpur after earlier losing to Sudurpaschim. A third defeat, against Lumbini on Tuesday evening, would leave them adrift of the top four with four games left, needing to win nearly all of them.

Tuesday's double-header is the next sorting mechanism, and it follows directly from Monday's results. Biratnagar Kings face Janakpur Bolts in the first match, followed by Lumbini Lions against Pokhara Avengers, both at Kirtipur. The morning game decides whether Janakpur go outright top or Biratnagar join the four-point group; the evening game decides whether Pokhara's season starts or effectively ends, and whether Lumbini turn their game in hand into a top-three place.

What matters most after Match 11 is how much is still unsettled. Only eleven of the twenty-eight league matches have been played, four points separate first from last, and the top four race is currently decided by fractions of net run rate. The top four at the end of the league stage reach the playoffs, with Qualifier 1 on November 17, the Eliminator on November 18, Qualifier 2 on November 19 and the final on November 21. The full standings, and the match that changed them, are covered in our report on Sudurpaschim's five-wicket win over Chitwan.