Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos Match Prediction – NPL 2026 Match 7

Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos match prediction for NPL 2026 Match 7: the lunchtime fixture of the Saturday double-header at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Saturday 31 October at 12:30 PM NST, with our winner pick, pitch report, head-to-head and toss call.

Match Details

Team Form

Lumbini have one Season 3 game behind them, and it was a rout. On Monday against Sudurpaschim, Lumbini bowled their opponents out for 87 in 17.2 overs and chased 88 for the loss of three wickets in 9.5 overs, with 61 balls left. D'Arcy Short top-scored with 40 off 18 balls, Kishore Mahato took 4 for 28, and Sher Malla’s 3 for 11 earned player of the match. Two points, and a net run rate boost that already leads the early table.

Chitwan also have one game behind them, and it was a scrap. On Tuesday against Biratnagar, Chitwan posted 157 for three, led by Dawid Malan’s 70, and held Biratnagar to 149 all out in 19.3 overs to win by eight runs. Kamal Singh Airee took 4 for 26 and was player of the match. Two points as well, earned the hard way. Neither side plays again before Saturday, so these two form lines are the whole story.

Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos Head-to-Head Record

Two meetings, two Lumbini wins.

Lumbini own the most recent meeting, so they own this fixture outright on the record. Both wins came before Season 3, and both squads have changed since, which is why the record is a lean and not a verdict.

Venue and Pitch Report

The TU Ground in Kirtipur hosts all 32 Season 3 matches. The same ground has already produced two very different games this season: the opener finished with totals of 87 and 88 for 3, while the second game finished with 157 for 3 and 149 all out. A lunchtime start on Saturday should play fairer than a night game, with no dew to change the ball’s behaviour late on.

No verified pitch report for Saturday 31 October was available when this article was written. The record book still stands: Biratnagar’s 220 for 6 against Pokhara (18 November 2025) is the highest total here, Janakpur’s 51 all out the lowest.

Weather

No verified forecast for Kirtipur on Saturday 31 October was available when this article was written. The 12:30 PM start means the game is played mostly in daylight, so evening conditions do not shape it either way.

Probable Playing XI

Lumbini: Rohit Paudel (C), Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Sundeep Jora, D'Arcy Short, Ruben Trumpelmann, Dilip Nath, Sher Malla, Durgesh Gupta, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishesh Gautam, Tilak Bhandari.

Chitwan: Kushal Malla (C), Binod Bhandari (WK), Aarif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Kamal Singh Airee, Rijan Dhakal, Sandeep Jora, Marchant de Lange, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Hassan Eisakhil, Dipendra Rawat.

Both XIs are probable, from the pre-match graphic, and both are confirmed at the toss. Full detail sits in our predicted playing XIs.

Key Players to Watch

Short and Mahato for Lumbini: Short’s 40 off 18 balls set the tone in the opener, and Mahato’s 4 for 28 ended Sudurpaschim’s innings early. Paudel, the captain, holds the middle order together. For Chitwan: Malan’s 70 was the highest score of the second game, Airee’s 4 for 26 closed it, and Malla’s captaincy steadied a tight finish.

Fantasy Picks

Fantasy picks, not betting advice. Captain: D'Arcy Short, who scores fast at the top. Vice-captain: Dawid Malan, the form batter of the two sides.

Top picks: Short and Malan. Kamal Singh Airee and Kishore Mahato back them up with the ball, with Rohit Paudel and Kushal Malla behind them; Niroshan Dickwella is the keeper-batter option. Differentials: Ruben Trumpelmann with the new ball, and Rijan Dhakal, who took two wickets in Chitwan’s opener. Avoid loading up on one side’s middle order: with one game each played, spread picks across both sides.

Toss Prediction

Expect the captain winning the toss to lean towards batting first. This is a day game starting at 12:30 PM NST, played mostly in daylight with no evening dew to come, so setting a total means defending it with a dry ball. The side chasing still knows exactly what it needs, but the toss is less decisive here than in a night game.

Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos Match Prediction: Who Will Win?

Our pick: Lumbini Lions, narrowly, with low confidence. The head-to-head record is 2-0 to Lumbini, and the manner of their opening win, seven wickets with 61 balls left, was more convincing than Chitwan’s eight-run win. Lumbini’s new-ball attack has already ended one game early, and Short’s form at the top gives them the fastest start of the two sides.

Chitwan’s case is real: Malan’s 70 and Airee’s 4 for 26 won a tight game, and a side that closes tight games is dangerous. But with one game each played and both squads rebuilt, the gap between these sides is small, and confidence stays low. Lumbini by a narrow margin.

Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos – Who will win?

7th Match · 31 Oct | Sat · 12:30 PM NPT. Back your team — one vote per device, and you can switch any time.

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Conclusion

Lumbini’s 2-0 head-to-head record and the manner of their M1 win make them narrow favourites. With one game each played, this stays a low-confidence call.