Sudurpaschim vs Janakpur Highlights, NPL 2026 Match 21

Sudurpaschim Royals beat Janakpur Bolts by 27 runs in Match 21 of the Nepal Premier League on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, defending a modest 120 at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur after a bowling performance that turned the match on its head. The Royals, who had stumbled to 120 for nine, watched Janakpur collapse to 93 all out in 19.5 overs, and the win sealed a playoff place alongside Kathmandu Gorkhas. Scott Kuggeleijn, whose opening burst set the tone, took three wickets for 13 runs and was named Player of the Match, while Janakpur captain Harmeet Singh's four for 17 went in vain against his former team. The highlights video is embedded below, followed by the key moments and the full scorecard.

Sudurpaschim vs Janakpur Highlights: Match 21 Video

Watch the Match 21 highlights here: Sudurpaschim Royals vs Janakpur Bolts, Match 21 highlights on YouTube. The video is a fan-made recap, not the official broadcast package. It covers the Royals' defence of 120 and the Bolts' collapse to 93, the wickets that decided the match, and the celebrations that followed a third straight win for Sudurpaschim.

Video: Match 21 highlights recap on YouTube (fan-made, not the official broadcast package).

How Sudurpaschim defended 120

Janakpur, chasing 121, never looked comfortable. Scott Kuggeleijn did the early damage, removing Anil Sah for two, and with Hemant Dhami removing Aaditya Mahata for 10 at the other end, the Bolts were under pressure before the powerplay was out. Kuggeleijn finished with three wickets for 13 runs in his four overs, the best figures of the match, and his opening burst set a pattern Janakpur never escaped: a wicket, a brief stand, another wicket.

Tritraj Das top-scored for Janakpur with 21 off 29 balls, and Jimmy Neesham made 20 off 25, but nobody else reached double figures except Rahul Yadav, whose 11 off six balls came far too late. Harry Tector, on his first appearance in the tournament, made one. Ryan Burl managed eight, captain Harmeet Singh four, Bishal Sushling two and Abhishek Tiwari two. Lalit Rajbanshi was left unbeaten on five when Anil Kharel bowled Rahul Yadav with the fourth ball of the final over to end the innings.

The supporting cast matched Kuggeleijn. Dipendra Singh Airee conceded only 15 runs in his four overs and took a wicket, his somersault celebration after one dismissal becoming the image of the night. Hemant Dhami, Tharindu Ratnayake, Anil Kharel and Ishan Pandey took one wicket each, and between them the Royals never let a partnership grow long enough to threaten the target.

McMullen and Ratnayake rescue the Royals

Sudurpaschim's total had needed rescuing of its own. They lost opener Binod Bhandari for 10 to a direct hit from Lalit Rajbanshi, and Rahul Yadav bowled the other opener, Saif Zaib, for 10. Harmeet Singh then bowled Ishan Pandey for three before Airee was caught and bowled by Aaditya Mahata for one, and at that point the Royals were wobbling badly.

Brandon McMullen steadied them. The Scot top-scored with 33 off 23 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, and his brisk innings gave the total a spine. Aarif Sheikh contributed 11 off 16 balls, and Tharindu Ratnayake, unbeaten on 27 off 28 balls with one four and two sixes, shepherded the lower order through the closing overs. Abinash Bohara was two not out at the end, and 120 for nine, modest as it looked, turned out to be 27 runs too many.

Harmeet's four wickets in vain

The irony of the evening belonged to Harmeet Singh. Playing against his former team for the first time, the Janakpur captain produced the outstanding bowling performance of the match, taking four wickets for 17 runs in his four overs. He had represented Sudurpaschim in the previous two seasons and helped them reach the final on both occasions, and he knew their batters well enough to dismantle them. After removing Kuggeleijn for six, he struck twice in consecutive deliveries.

The four wickets took his tournament tally to 11, the most in the season so far, and his spell was the reason Janakpur were chasing only 121. It was not enough. A captain's performance with the ball, and a batting line-up that could not finish the job, is the story of Janakpur's season in one evening.

The moments that decided Match 21

Five moments turned the match. First, Harmeet's four for 17 kept Sudurpaschim to 120, a total that looked modest on a surface that had already produced a string of low scores. Second, Kuggeleijn's opening burst removed Anil Sah early and set the tone for the defence. Third, Airee's somersault celebration after a wicket lifted the Royals and the crowd in the same instant. Fourth, the middle order's collapse: after Das and Neesham, the Bolts lost wickets in clusters whenever they tried to accelerate, and no partnership grew long enough to threaten the target. Fifth, Rahul Yadav's 11 off six balls, the only late hitting of the innings, came with the asking rate already out of reach.

Put together, the match was won by the bowlers. Sudurpaschim's attack defended a total that had looked 20 runs short, and Janakpur's batters, who had restricted the Royals so well, could not match it with the bat.

What the result means for the playoffs

It was Sudurpaschim's third win in a row and their fourth in six matches, taking them to eight points and second place in the standings. Kathmandu also have eight points but sit above them on a superior net run rate. The win confirmed Sudurpaschim's place in the playoffs alongside Kathmandu Gorkhas, with seven league matches still to play.

Janakpur, beaten for the fourth time in six outings, stay fifth on four points with only one league fixture remaining, against Chitwan Rhinos. The inaugural champions are staring at elimination, and their playoff hopes now hang by a thread. The league resumes on Thursday, 12 November, with Biratnagar Kings against Pokhara Avengers at 12:30 PM NST, followed by Karnali Yaks against Lumbini Lions at 4:30 PM NST.

Match 21 scorecard in brief

Sudurpaschim Royals 120 for 9 in 20 overs: Brandon McMullen 33 off 23, Tharindu Ratnayake 27 not out off 28, Aarif Sheikh 11 off 16, Binod Bhandari 10, Saif Zaib 10; Harmeet Singh 4 for 17. Janakpur Bolts 93 all out in 19.5 overs: Tritraj Das 21 off 29, Jimmy Neesham 20 off 25, Rahul Yadav 11 off 6; Scott Kuggeleijn 3 for 13, Dipendra Singh Airee 1 for 15. Result: Sudurpaschim Royals won by 27 runs. Player of the Match: Scott Kuggeleijn.