Biratnagar hand struggling Kathmandu their second straight defeat

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Nov 23, 2025

Kathmandu Gurkhas, who began the Nepal Premier League (NPL) season by beating defending champions Janakpur Bolts, have now slipped badly, losing their next two matches.

On Saturday, they were outplayed by Biratnagar Kings, who won comfortably by five wickets at TU Cricket Ground.

Despite having what looked like a balanced batting lineup, Kathmandu’s top order failed badly. Coach Monty Desai made three changes to the playing XI, bringing in Gerhard Erasmus, Pratik Shrestha and Ricardo Vasconcelos. But none of them made an impact, scoring just 10, 2 and 3 runs respectively.

Opener Akash Tripathi was out for a duck, leaving Kathmandu in deep trouble at 29 for 4 inside nine overs. Biratnagar fast bowler Merchant de Lange caused the early damage, giving away only 5 runs and taking 2 wickets in his first three overs.

His tight bowling put Kathmandu under pressure from the start, earning him the Player of the Match award.

After that, Ben Charlesworth (32) and Santosh Yadav (26) tried to rebuild, but the real boost came from Aadil Alam, who smashed 48 off 25 balls to take Kathmandu to a modest total of 134. However, it was still below par.

Biratnagar made the chase look simple. Opener George Munsey blasted 36 off just 16 balls, while Martin Guptill added 26 from 19 deliveries. Their aggressive start meant Kathmandu never had control of the game.

Kathmandu’s bowlers failed to apply pressure during the powerplay, allowing Biratnagar’s batters to score freely. Even though the run rate slowed slightly in the middle overs, Biratnagar comfortably reached the target to secure their second straight win.

Biratnagar, who struggled last season, have started this one impressively with two dominant wins; first against Pokhara and now against Kathmandu which has taken them to the top of the points table.

Their top-order batting has been a key strength, while the bowling attack led by Merchant de Lange and captain Sandeep Lamichhane has kept opponents under pressure.

With strong performances across the team, Biratnagar look like early contenders in this year’s NPL.