Lumbini Lions were crowned champions of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 2 after producing a dominant all-round performance to defeat Sudurpaschim Royals by six wickets in the final at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium, Kirtipur, on Saturday.

The foundation for Lumbini’s emphatic triumph was laid in the first innings, where captain Rohit Paudel led a ruthless bowling display. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Sudurpaschim were bundled out for just 85 in 19.1 overs—the lowest total ever recorded by a team batting first in NPL history.

It was also the first time Sudurpaschim failed to cross the 100-run mark in the tournament.

Rohit’s hat-trick in the 11th over broke the back of Sudurpaschim’s innings, as he removed captain Dipendra Singh Airee, Deepak Bohara and Puneet Mehra in successive deliveries.

Airee managed 13 off 20 balls, while Bohara and Mehra departed without scoring. Rohit finished with three wickets for 12 runs from four overs.

Earlier, Binod Bhandari was dismissed for a duck in the opening over, before Ruben Trumpelmann trapped Sheldon Jackson lbw for one. Sher Malla picked up three wickets to take his tournament tally to 17, sharing the top spot among leading wicket-takers with Biratnagar Kings’ Sandeep Lamichhane.

Trumpelmann also claimed three wickets, conceding just three runs, as Lumbini maintained complete control of the final.

Chasing a modest target, Lumbini made light work of the run chase, reaching the target in just nine overs. Dinesh Adhikari set the tone in spectacular fashion, smashing four sixes in the opening over, yielding 27 runs. He went on to hammer 42 off just 13 balls, striking five sixes and a four, to put the contest firmly beyond Sudurpaschim.

D’Arcy Short provided able support as the pair raced to 58 runs inside four overs. Short scored 14 off 13 balls with three boundaries before being dismissed by Hemant Dhami, who also removed Dinesh in the same over. Rohit Paudel chipped in with 16 off 12 balls, while Niroshan Dickwella remained unbeaten on 11 as Lumbini completed a one-sided chase.

The title marked Lumbini’s first-ever NPL championship, achieved with six consecutive victories, equalling Sudurpaschim’s record winning streak from the start of the season. In contrast, Sudurpaschim suffered their second successive defeats in NPL finals, having lost last year’s title clash to Janakpur Bolts.

Lumbini’s title run came after winning their final three league-stage matches to qualify for the play-offs, followed by victories over Kathmandu Gorkhas in the Eliminator and Biratnagar Kings in Qualifier 2.

The champions completed a remarkable turnaround in the NPL second season after finishing bottom of the table last season when they lost six of their seven matches.