The Royals Are Rolling, the Bolts Need a Spark: Tuesday Evening at Kirtipur
Sudurpaschim Royals have won three of five and sit in the top three. Janakpur Bolts have lost their last two, one of them by two runs. Two points here would put the Bolts back in the race for the top four.
The match
Sudurpaschim Royals were third going into the weekend, with six points from five games (three wins, two defeats). After losing their opener to Lumbini and a 35-run defeat to Biratnagar, they have beaten Chitwan by five wickets and then Karnali by 39 runs on Friday, when they made 176 for 6 and David Miller's 93 not out was not enough for the Yaks. Janakpur Bolts have four points from five games. They beat Kathmandu and Pokhara, then lost to Biratnagar by two runs and to Lumbini by 16, when they could not chase 150. Two games on Monday may change the table before the toss.
Pitch and possible XIs
The evening game at Kirtipur has often been decided in the middle overs, and around 150 to 160 has been a competitive score. The Royals' batting goes deep: against Karnali, eight batters got into double figures and Tharindu Ratnayake and Scott Kuggeleijn added quick runs at the end. Janakpur's bowling has been good, with Bishal Shusling taking 2 for 21 against Lumbini, but their batting has struggled when the top three go cheaply. Harmeet Singh and Aaditya Mahata have had to rescue them from the lower order.
A possible Royals XI, based on Friday's side: Saif Zaib, Binod Bhandari, Brandon McMullen, Dipendra Singh Airee, Ishan Pandey, Aarif Sheikh, Tharindu Ratnayake, Scott Kuggeleijn, Hemant Dhami, Anil Kharel, Abinash Bohara. A possible Bolts XI, based on their last game: Trit Raj Das, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Bishal Shusling, Anil Sah, Jimmy Neesham, Abhisekh Tiwari, Harmeet Singh, Aaditya Mahata, Lalit Rajbanshi, Rahul Yadav. Either side may make changes.
The verdict
The Royals have the form and the deeper batting, so we lean towards them, narrowly. But Janakpur have already beaten Kathmandu this season and lost to Biratnagar by only two runs, so they are closer than the table suggests. If Neesham and Saif Hassan bat through the middle overs, the Bolts could well take this one. Sudurpaschim Royals vs Janakpur Bolts, Nepal Premier League 2026, Kirtipur — Tuesday, November 10, 4:15 PM IST.