Lumbini Lions moved to the top of the Nepal Premier League standings with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Pokhara Avengers, extending their unbeaten run to three matches on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest target of 98, Lumbini reached 99 for two in just 11.4 overs, with 50 balls to spare, in the second match of the day.

Openers Aasif Sheikh and D’Arcy Short fell for seven and 13 respectively, but captain Rohit Paudel and Niroshan Dickwella steered the team home with an unbeaten 77-run partnership.

Rohit remained not out on 47, while Dickwella contributed 27. Bipin Khatri took the only wicket for Pokhara.

Earlier, Lumbini had restricted Pokhara to 97 for nine after winning the toss and electing to field. Seeking their first win of the season, Pokhara endured another disappointing batting performance in their third match, struggling to build partnerships throughout their innings.

Arjun Kumal, who had been left out of the playing XI for Pokhara's first two matches, was bowled by Ruben Trumpelmann for a duck off the second ball. Pokhara managed only 23 runs for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.

Bipin Acharya was caught and bowled by Sher Malla for seven, while captain Kushal Bhurtel fell for 14 after failing to capitalise on a promising start. Trumpelmann took his wicket, adding to Bhurtel's struggles to turn starts into substantial scores in the tournament.

Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel then dismissed Shakib Al Hasan for three, leaving Pokhara struggling to build momentum. They took 88 balls to reach the 50-run mark.

A 19-run partnership between Mahedi Hasan and Arjun Gharti was the second-highest of the innings. Mahedi scored 13, Gharti six and Kiran Thagunna 12.

Pokhara's biggest partnership came towards the end, when Chamika Karunaratne and Bipin Khatri added 21 runs for the ninth wicket. Karunaratne top-scored with 25 before being run out, while Khatri remained unbeaten on six and Aakash Chand on one.

Trumpelmann led Lumbini's attack with three wickets, while Tilak Raj Bhandari claimed two. Kishore Mahato, Paudel and Abhishesh Gautam took one wicket each.

The victory gives Lumbini five points from three matches, making them the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far. Pokhara, meanwhile, remain winless after three matches and sit at the bottom of the standings.