Captain Dipendra Singh Airee delivered a brilliant all-round performance as Sudurpashchim Royals defeated Karnali Yaks by 45 runs in Monday’s second match of the Nepal Premier League at the TU International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur.

Chasing 140, Karnali were bundled out for just 94 runs in 19.2 overs—the lowest total of this NPL season—after Airee’s incisive spell ripped through their top order.

The Royals captain finished with outstanding figures of 4 for 23 from four overs, including three wickets inside the powerplay.

Airee struck in his first over, stumping out Priyank Panchal for a duck. He then trapped Mark Watt (17) and Najibullah Zadran (1) leg-before to leave Karnali reeling.

Earlier, Hemant Dhami had removed William Bosisto for 3, bringing skipper Sompal Kami to the crease, who attempted to steady the innings with 14 off 16 before falling to a Harmeet Singh return catch.

Pawan Sarraf top-scored for Karnali with 27 off 26, hitting four boundaries. But the rest of the line-up offered little resistance, as Gulshan Jha and Arjun Gharti managed 13 each, while Nandan Yadav (1) and Yubraj Khatri (0) fell cheaply. Harmeet Singh and Abinash Bohara claimed two wickets apiece, conceding 19 runs each, while Scott Kuggeleijn and Dhami picked up one each.

Earlier, disciplined bowling from Karnali captain Sompal Kami had restricted Sudurpashchim to 139-9 after the Royals were put in to bat first. Kami returned figures of 3 for 32, including a maiden, and struck with the very first ball of the innings by bowling Josh Brown.

Sudurpaschim skipper Airee top-scored with 39 off 28 balls, smashing a four and two sixes.

He shared a vital 48-run stand for the sixth wicket with Harmeet, who made 19 off 16 with a four and a six. Kami broke the partnership by knocking over Harmeet’s leg stump before producing a rare dismissal—Naren Saud out hit-wicket—in his final over.

Nandan Yadav supported Kami with 2 for 11 from three overs, while Watt, Bipin Sharma and Yubraj Khatri claimed a wicket each.

Sudurpashchim’s innings had begun under pressure after Brown’s first-ball dismissal. Opener Binod Bhandari scored 11 off 13, while Chris Lynn added 18 from 20. Down the order, Kuggeleijn managed 10, Saud fell for a duck, and Hemant Dhami and Bohara remained unbeaten on 1 each.

The win marks Sudurpashchim’s third consecutive win following victories over Kathmandu Gorkhas and Pokhara Avengers. Karnali, meanwhile, have now lost two of their three matches.