Nepal Premier League: Pokhara Avengers to face Sudurpaschim Royals

Kathmandu. Nepal Premier League (NPL) third edition's third day will see a competition between Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals on Wednesday. The match will start at 5 PM at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Pokhara, who lost both matches against Sudurpaschim in the previous two editions, will enter the field with the aim of changing the past history. On the other hand, Sudurpaschim, the runner-up of the last two editions, is planning to continue its unbeaten streak against Pokhara. Looking at the head-to-head statistics of the previous two editions, these two teams have met twice and Sudurpaschim has won both matches. Therefore, Wednesday's match will not only be an opportunity for Pokhara to win but also a big challenge to register their first win against Sudurpaschim. Sudurpaschim, which reached the final consecutively in the first and second editions, was limited to the runner-up both times. This time, the team is aiming to lift the title at any cost. Pokhara wants to change the disappointing history of not even reaching the playoffs in the previous editions and perform strongly. Sudurpaschim is being led by the national team's best all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee. Pokhara's captaincy is on the shoulders of Kushal Bhurtel. The performance of the foreign players in both teams and the collective effort of the Nepali players will have a direct impact on the outcome of the match. In its first match of the third edition, Sudurpaschim Royals lost to Lumbini Lions by seven wickets. Sudurpaschim, which was bundled out for just 87 runs while batting first, is under great pressure right from the start of the competition. Lumbini completed the target by losing three wickets. Sudurpaschim will try to return to the winning rhythm through the match against Pokhara, breaking the pressure of the first defeat. On the other hand, Pokhara is starting its campaign in the tournament with Wednesday's match. If they can win the first match, Pokhara will have the opportunity to make a good and strong start in the points table. Meanwhile, in the two matches played on Tuesday under 'NPL', Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks registered victories. In the first match, Chitwan Rhinos defeated Biratnagar Kings by 8 runs. Chitwan added two important points in the competition by winning that very competitive match. In the second match on Tuesday, Karnali Yaks defeated Janakpur Bolts by 19 runs. With this, Karnali has also created a basis for strengthening its position in the points table by opening its winning account in the competition. In this third edition with eight teams, each team will compete against all other teams in the league stage. After the league stage matches are over, the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. The match between Pokhara and Sudurpaschim on Wednesday is expected to have a significant impact on the future journey of both teams. On one hand, Pokhara wants to make an encouraging start by winning the first match, while on the other hand, Sudurpaschim is looking to make an excellent comeback by forgetting the previous defeat.