Kathmandu Gorkhars won the toss and decided to bat first against Lumbini Lions in the Siddharth Bank Nepal Premier League (NPL)- a franchise-based T20 cricket tournament, in the Eliminator underway in Kirtipur.
While Kathmandu has retained the same playing squad from their previous match for today's game, Lumbini has made one change from their last match. Dinesh Adhikari has replaced Sumit Maharjan in the playing XI.
Kathmandu, placed third in the points table, and Lumbini, placed fourth, are meeting in the Eliminator. The winner of today’s match will advance to the Qualifier 2, where they will take on the Biratnagar Kings.
The team that loses today’s Eliminator will be knocked out of the NPL title race, making this a must-win match for both Kathmandu and Lumbini.
In their league-stage encounter, Kathmandu had defeated Lumbini by 22 runs. After winning their opening match, Lumbini went on to lose the next three games in a row, but bounced back by winning next three consecutive matches to secure a playoff spot in third place.
Lumbini finished the seven-match league stage with 4 wins and 3 losses, collecting 8 points to claim fourth position and enter the Eliminator.
Kathmandu, on the other hand, recorded 5 wins and 2 losses, ear earning 10 points and finishing third.
Kathmandu Gorkhars squad
Karan KC (Captain), Shahab Alam, Rashid Khan, Bhim Sharki, Santosh Yadav, Akash Tripathi, Mohammad Adil Alam, Ben Charlesworth, Milind Kumar, Johan Simpson, and Sunny Patel.
Lumbini Lions squad
Rohit Paudel (Captain), Sandeep Jora, Dilip Nath, Tilak Bhandari, Sher Malla, Abhishesh Gautam, Dinesh Adhikari, Arshdeep Singh, JJ Smith, Ruben Trumpelmann, and Niroshan Dickwella.
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