Pokhara Avengers vs Karnali Yaks NPL Match 19 Preview

Pokhara Avengers meet Karnali Yaks in Match 19 of the Nepal Premier League on Monday, 9 November, at 12:30 PM NST at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. It is the first meeting of the season between the two sides, and they arrive at it from opposite ends of the table. Pokhara have lost all four of their matches and need to win their last three to keep any hope of a playoff place alive. Karnali have won two and lost two, and a win here would lift them level on six points with Kathmandu Gorkhas and Sudurpaschim Royals. Shakib Al Hasan will not play for Pokhara, having been ruled out of the rest of the season.

The stakes

Four points separate the two sides, and the gap tells the story of their seasons so far. Karnali sit sixth with four points from four matches and a net run rate of -0.268. Pokhara sit eighth and last with no points from four matches and a net run rate of -1.679, the worst in the league by some distance. The table after Match 18 reads: Lumbini 7 points, Kathmandu 6, Sudurpaschim 6, Chitwan 5, Janakpur 4, Karnali 4, Biratnagar 4, Pokhara 0. For Karnali, a win on Monday takes them to six points and into the thick of the race for the top four, with two matches still to play after this one. For Pokhara, the maths is stark. Three wins from their last three matches would take them to six points, but six points alone will not be enough, because four teams already have more than that. Pokhara also need results elsewhere to go their way, and need their net run rate to improve sharply. One more defeat ends their playoff hopes outright.

Pokhara Avengers: four defeats, one last road

Pokhara's last match summed up their season. Against Chitwan Rhinos on Friday, 6 November, they were bowled out for 121 chasing 152 and lost by 30 runs. Arjun Kumal top-scored with 45 off 44 balls, but no other batter passed 25, and the chase never recovered after the early wickets fell. It was their fourth defeat in four matches, following losses to Sudurpaschim Royals, Janakpur Bolts and Lumbini Lions. The batting has been the problem. Pokhara have scored 501 runs in 80 overs across the season while conceding 544, and their net run rate of -1.679 is the price of four defeats in which they were rarely in the game at the death. Chamika Karunaratne led the side in their last match, and the bowling has had its moments, but the side has not yet put a complete performance together. The loss of Shakib Al Hasan makes the task harder. The Bangladesh all-rounder was Pokhara's marquee overseas signing, and his absence for the rest of the season leaves Mahedi Hasan and Karunaratne as the overseas core. Kushal Bhurtel, who opens the batting, and Kumal, who held the innings together against Chitwan, now carry even more of the batting load. Pokhara have three matches left: Karnali on Monday, Biratnagar Kings on Thursday, 12 November, and Kathmandu Gorkhas in the final league match on Sunday, 15 November. Only three wins keep the season alive.

Karnali Yaks: Miller's form and the question after him

Karnali's last match showed both their greatest strength and their clearest weakness. Against Sudurpaschim Royals on Friday, 6 November, they conceded 176 for 6 and then finished on 137 for 7, losing by 39 runs. David Miller, playing his first match of the season after arriving in Kathmandu days earlier, made 93 not out off 55 balls and was named player of the match despite finishing on the losing side. His 93 was more than two-thirds of Karnali's total of 137. That is the question Karnali must answer on Monday: what happens when Miller does not carry the innings alone. The rest of the batting has to contribute, because no side wins a tournament on one batter's shoulders. Karnali's season has been even so far. They beat Janakpur Bolts and Biratnagar Kings, then lost to Kathmandu Gorkhas and Sudurpaschim Royals, a run of form that reads W, W, L, L. Their net run rate of -0.268 is the weakest of the teams on four points, which means they cannot afford to lean on run rate if the race comes down to the wire. Sompal Kami leads the side and bowls with the new ball, while Hussain Talat and Pawan Sarraf give the middle order and the bowling attack their balance. Karnali have three matches left after Monday: Lumbini Lions on Thursday, 12 November, and Chitwan Rhinos on Sunday, 15 November. Two wins from those three would take them to eight points and keep them firmly in the race.

Key players to watch

David Miller is the name every Pokhara bowler will be planning for. His unbeaten 93 against Sudurpaschim was the standout innings of Match 16, struck at a time when Karnali's chase was falling apart around him. If he bats through again, Karnali's total will take care of itself. Sompal Kami matters at both ends of the game for Karnali: he leads the side, opens the bowling, and his early wickets have set the tone in Karnali's wins. Hussain Talat's all-round game gives Karnali the balance they need in the middle overs, with bat and ball. For Pokhara, Kushal Bhurtel's start at the top will decide how much pressure the middle order faces. Arjun Kumal showed against Chitwan that he can hold an innings together, and Pokhara need another innings like his 45, this time with support around him. Mahedi Hasan is now Pokhara's most important overseas player with Shakib out, and his overs in the middle of the innings could be the difference between a total Karnali can chase and one they cannot. The expected line-ups name Karunaratne as Pokhara's captain for this match and Kami for Karnali, with Sagar Dhakal leading Pokhara's bowling attack and Nandan Yadav among Karnali's options with the ball. The confirmed playing elevens will be named at the toss.

Match details and what to expect

Match 19 starts at 12:30 PM NST on Monday, 9 November at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, the first match of a double header. The second match of the day, Chitwan Rhinos against Kathmandu Gorkhas, starts at 4:30 PM NST. The pitch at Kirtipur is expected to be neutral, with some help for the pace bowlers early on, and the weather is expected to stay cloudy at around 13 degrees with no rain forecast during the match. Both teams will have had a rest day to prepare: Sunday, 8 November was a rest day for Laxmi Puja, and the league resumes with this fixture. The two sides have not met this season, so neither has a recent head-to-head to lean on. Karnali's recent form reads two wins followed by two defeats, while Pokhara have lost all four of their matches. The first innings total at Kirtipur has averaged around 157 in this tournament, a number both batting line-ups will have in mind at the toss.

The week after Monday

Whatever happens in Match 19, the week moves fast. Pokhara face Biratnagar Kings on Thursday, 12 November at 12:30 PM NST, and close their league season against Kathmandu Gorkhas on Sunday, 15 November at 4:30 PM NST. Karnali face Lumbini Lions on Thursday, 12 November at 4:30 PM NST, and finish against Chitwan Rhinos on Sunday, 15 November at 12:30 PM NST. The league stage ends that Sunday, and the playoffs begin two days later: Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, 17 November, the Eliminator on Wednesday, 18 November, Qualifier 2 on Thursday, 19 November, and the final on Saturday, 21 November. For Pokhara, Monday is the first of three finals. For Karnali, it is the first of three chances to climb into the top four. The rest day is over, and the business end of the season starts at 12:30 PM.