Janakpur Bolts’ Lahiru Milantha emerged as the leading run-scorer of the inaugural Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket season. His remarkable 87-run knock in the final against Sudurpaschim Royals propelled him to the top of the charts, surpassing Ravi Bopara, Rohit Paudel, and others.

Before the final, Chitwan Rhinos’ Ravi Bopara led with 286 runs, followed by Lumbini Lions’ skipper Rohit Paudel with 279. Milantha, who had accumulated 206 runs before the final, surged ahead to 293 after his match-winning innings off 49 balls. He also maintained an impressive strike rate above 130 throughout the tournament.

Milantha’s NPL campaign included a standout performance of 75 not out off 53 balls in the tournament opener against Biratnagar Kings.

Meanwhile, Janakpur’s Lalit Rajbanshi and Sudurpaschim’s Scott Kuggeleijn tied as the season’s highest wicket-takers, both claiming 17 scalps. Rajbanshi’s disciplined bowling was pivotal in Janakpur’s victory. He bowled a maiden over early in the final and dismissed Sudurpaschim’s key batter, Binod Bhandari, for 41 runs. Rajbanshi ended the match with figures of 1 for 15 in 4 overs, including a maiden.

In contrast, Kuggeleijn struggled in the final, conceding 28 runs in his first two overs. He managed to dismiss Milantha in the 17th over but gave away 15 runs in the same over, including wides and boundaries.

Despite Kuggeleijn’s lower economy, his average of 12.35 in 9 matches edged Rajbanshi’s 12.52 in 10 matches. Other standout bowlers of the season included Chitwan’s Sohail Tanvir and Janakpur’s Kishore Mahato (14 wickets each) and Sudurpaschim’s Saif Zaib (12 wickets).

Milantha and Rajbanshi’s contributions were instrumental in Janakpur Bolts’ successful NPL campaign, making them the standout players of the season.