Andre Russell was the star player as Biratnagar Kings edged out Janakpur Bolts by two runs in a nail-biting final over of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 on Tuesday. The match took place at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Russell played an exceptional all-round game, scoring an unbeaten 52 off just 29 balls and taking four wickets to help his team defend a target of 175. Janakpur needed 13 runs from the last over but fell short, finishing at 172/7.
Russell was especially crucial in the closing stages. He took two wickets in the final over, including dismissing Janakpur’s captain Harmeet Singh and Saif Hassan on the last delivery. His performance sealed the win for Biratnagar.
Biratnagar started well despite losing Shehan Jayasuriya early. Lokesh Bam and Imran Sheikh then built a strong partnership of 107 runs, guiding their team to 46/1 during the powerplay and surpassing 100 runs. Russell and Shubham Ranjane added 62 runs in the final five overs to reach 174/3.
For Janakpur, Saif Hassan was the top scorer with 71 runs, including five sixes, while Bishal Shusling contributed 43 and James Neesham added 27. Despite their efforts, Biratnagar kept finding key wickets at crucial moments.
With 13 runs needed from the final over, Russell delivered it himself, taking two wickets to prevent Janakpur from winning. Janakpur scored only 10 runs in that over and lost by two runs.
Russell’s figures of 4/45 made him the most influential player, completing a memorable performance with both bat and ball. The win was an important result for Biratnagar Kings in their league campaign, while Janakpur missed out on a third consecutive victory.