Sudurpaschim overpower Karnali as Dipendra Singh Airee stars with all-round brilliance

Sudurpaschim Royals produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Karnali Yaks by 45 runs in Match 10 of the Nepal Premier League at TU Cricket Ground on Monday.

The win was built around captain Dipendra Singh Airee’s authoritative all-round show, backed by disciplined bowling that dismantled Karnali's chase inside 20 overs.

Sudurpaschim, sent in to bat, struggled early as Josh Brown and Binod Bhandari fell inside the first five deliveries. Chris Lynn's brief cameo and consistent middle-order contributions from Aarif Sheikh (27 off 25) provided some stability before Airee launched a crucial innings under pressure. His 39 off 28 balls — including four boundaries — lifted the Royals from 46/4 to a competitive position. Late wickets slowed the momentum, but Harmeet Singh 19(16) and Scott Kuggeleijn 10 (8) held their nerve to push the total to 139/9 from 20 overs.

Karnali Yaks' chase never settled. The powerplay collapse — 33 for 4 — created irreversible pressure. Airee triggered the slide, removing Priyank Panchal and then dismissing Mark Watt and Najibullah Zadran through clever variations. Only Pawan Sarraf (27 off 26) and Sompal Kami (14 off 16) mounted brief resistance, but consistent breakthroughs from Sudurpaschim ensured the Yaks never threatened the target.

Airee returned outstanding figures of 4/23 from 4 overs, while Harmeet Singh and Abinash Bohara chipped in with key strikes. Karnali were eventually bundled out for 94 in 19.2 overs, conceding their second defeat of the season.

With this win, Sudurpaschim climbed back into the Number 1 position in the table, driven by their captain’s leadership and a clinical bowling display. Karnali, meanwhile, will need to address their top-order vulnerability as the league stage tightens.