Kathmandu: Janakpur Bolts have won the first season of the Nepal Premier League. Janakpur defeated Sudurpaschim Royals by 5 wickets at the TU Cricket Ground to clinch the NPL title.

Chasing a target of 185 runs set by Sudurpaschim Royals in the final at the TU Cricket Ground, Janakpur achieved the target in 19.2 overs, losing 5 wickets.

Janakpur, the winner of the first edition of the NPL, will receive a prize of Rs 11 million. Similarly, the runner-up Sudurpaschim Royals settled for Rs 5.1 million. Similarly, the third-placed Karnali Yaks received a prize of Rs 2.5 million and the fourth-placed Chitwan Rhinos received a prize of Rs 1.5 million. Lumbini Lions has been successful in winning the Fair Play Award in the competition.

The winners were presented with awards by former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Youth and Sports Minister Tejulal Chaudhary, and Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) President Chatur Bahadur Chand, among others.

Sudurpaschim Royals captain Dipendra Singh Airi has been declared the best player of the Nepal Premier League. Dipendra scored 227 runs in eight matches, including one half-century. He played a key role in taking Sudurpaschim Royals to the final and was presented with an Omoda E-5 EV car by Omoda. The organizer CAN had announced that the best Nepali player would be presented with an Omoda E-5 EV car worth 6.2 million.

Similarly, Janakpur’s Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi was declared the best bowler of the NPL. He received a motorcycle award. Lalit and Sudurpaschim Royals’ Scott Kegulein jointly became the highest wicket-taker.

Sudurpaschim’s Saif Ali Zaib was awarded the Player of the Series. He received a cash prize of Rs 500,000. Sudurpaschim’s opening batsman Saif had scored 275 runs in nine NPL matches. Karnali Yaks’ Bipin Prasad Sharma won the Emerging Player title. He received a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a scholarship worth Rs 100,000. 16-year-old Bipin had proven his ability by showing the way to the pavilion to world-renowned players.