LBL vs JKB Match Prediction & AnalysisJanakpur Bolts suffered a defeat in their recent game after two consecutive wins.
For the Bolts, Moeen Ali and Harmeet Singh need to deliver crucial breakthroughs to lead their bowling comeback in this match.
They brought in Rubel Trumplemann in the last match, replacing Shadley van Schalkwyk to further strengthen their bowling.
He will find support from batting all-rounder Shamim Hossain, who came in at number 4 in the opening match.
Trit Raj Das scored a fifty in the previous match, where the Bolts won by 9 runs, defending a 147-run total.
LBL vs JKB Match Prediction & Analysis
Janakpur Bolts suffered a defeat in their recent game after two consecutive wins. They will now take on the unbeaten Lumbini Lions, who are comfortably sitting at the top spot in the points table.
The 14th match of the Nepal Premier League will take place at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, the venue for all the matches of this tournament. The pitch has offered plenty of help for the bowlers, and the Lions, in particular, have made the most of this.
Rohit Paudel-led Lumbini Lions restricted the opposition to under 100 runs in both matches while bowling first. Kishore Mahato, Sher Malla, and Ruben Trumplemann are the key wicket-takers in this bowling attack. For the Bolts, Moeen Ali and Harmeet Singh need to deliver crucial breakthroughs to lead their bowling comeback in this match.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 2 Matches 1 LBL Won 1 JKB Won 0 No Result LBL NPL JKB 136/6 in 19.1 Lumbini Lions beat Janakpur Bolts by 4 wickets 05 Dec 2025 132/6 in 20.0 Show More Show Less JKB 136/9 in 20.0 NPL Janakpur Bolts beat Lumbini Lions by 1 runs 08 Dec 2024 LBL 135/8 in 20.0
TEAMS PREVIEW
Lumbini Lions Preview
Can the Lions carry their bowling momentum into this match and put the inconsistent Bolts on the back foot? They brought in Rubel Trumplemann in the last match, replacing Shadley van Schalkwyk to further strengthen their bowling.
Schalkwyk returned figures of 1 for 19 in 3 overs in the opening game while Trumplemann picked up 3 wickets in their recent win, two of which were top-order batters.
Skipper Rohit Paudel leads a strong overall squad that ticks all the boxes in both departments. They’ve got Aasif Sheikh and D Arcy Short opening the innings while Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella and skipper Rohit Paudel form the core of this batting order in the middle.
In their two outings so far, the Lions were tasked with small targets of 98 and 88 runs. As such, the batting lineup hasn’t been tested as much. Dickwella has plenty of experience and will be crucial in the middle order. He will find support from batting all-rounder Shamim Hossain, who came in at number 4 in the opening match.
Along with Malla, Mahato and Trumplemann, Tilak Bhandari and Abhishek Gautam are other key wicket-takers who’ve delivered impactful spells in the recent outings for the Lions.
Interesting Stats
Mahato picked up 4 for 22 in the opening game while Malla finished with 3 for 11 in that outing
D Arcy Short scored 40 off 18 in the opening while the opening duo scored 71 runs for the first wicket
Lumbini Lions Predicted Playing XI:
D Arcy Short, Aasif Sheikh, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Shamim Hossain, Rohit Paudel (c), Tilak Bhandari, Sundeep Jora, Abhishesh Gautam, Ruben Trumpelmann, Kishore Mahato, Sher Malla
Lumbini Lions Key Players From Previous Game Of Nepal Premier League 2026 Batsmen R B 4s 6s SRs Rohit Paudel 47 32 3 3 146.88 Niroshan Dickwella 27 26 2 1 103.85 D'Arcy Short 13 6 1 1 216.67 Bowlers O M R W Econ Ruben Trumpelmann 4.0 0 16 3 4 Tilak Bhandari 4.0 0 22 2 5.5 Abhishesh Gautam 4.0 1 15 1 3.75
Lumbini Lions Actual Playing XI:
Rohit Paudel, Sundeep Jora, Dilip Nath, Aasif Sheikh, Sher Malla, Tilak Bhandari, Kishore Mahato, Niroshan Dickwella, D'Arcy Short, Ruben Trumpelmann, Shamim Hossain
Janakpur Bolts Preview
Can Harmeet Singh lead Janakpur’s comeback with a game-changing spell? Before going wicketless in the last match, the skipper had picked up 3 wickets in two outings for the Bolts at an economy of under 6 r.p.o.
Another very promising bowling performance came from Moeen Ali, who picked up 3 for 13 in his 4 overs in their 9-run win over Pokhara Avengers. Top-order batsman Saif Hassan is also quite handy with his right-arm off-break bowling, and Singh will consider trying him for a couple of overs right after the powerplay.
In the batting order, Moeen Ali and Trit Raj Das open the innings for Janakput Bolts and must get them off to a flying start. Will they? In four of their outings so far, the opening duo’s partnership has crossed the 20-run mark only once.
Saif Hassan led the run chase in their recent match, where the Bolts lost by 2 runs. He played a big role in keeping Janakpur in the hunt till the last ball. Trit Raj Das scored a fifty in the previous match, where the Bolts won by 9 runs, defending a 147-run total.
However, Das was pretty slow with his fifty, scoring at a 110.91 strike rate. Anil Sah, Kusal Perera, and Harmeet Singh have all failed to make an impact in the middle order. Bishal Shusling looked quite promising at number 5 in the last match and will be a key middle-order batsman along with Jimmy Neesham, who will be in the finisher’s role at number 6.
Interesting Stats
Shusling scored 43 off 30 balls in the recent match and built a 76-run stand with Hassan for the 4th wicket
Saif Hassan picked up 2 for 11 against Kathmandu Gorkhas while Rahul Yadav topped the charts with 4 for 31
Janakpur Bolts Predicted Playing XI:
Moeen Ali, Trit Raj Das, Saif Hassan, Anil Sah (wk), James Neesham, Harmeet Singh (c), Abhisekh Tiwari, Bishal Shusling, Amar Routela, Rahul Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi
Janakpur Bolts Key Players From Previous Game Of Nepal Premier League 2026 Batsmen R B 4s 6s SRs Saif Hassan 71 48 2 5 147.92 Bishal Shusling 43 30 2 3 143.33 James Neesham 27 15 0 3 180 Bowlers O M R W Econ Abhishek Tiwari 4.0 0 38 2 9.5 Moeen Ali 2.0 0 13 1 6.5 Anil Sah 0.0 0 0 0 0
Janakpur Bolts Actual Playing XI:
Anil Sah, Aaditya Mahata, Trit Raj Das, Abhishek Tiwari , Lalit Rajbanshi, Bishal Shusling, Harmeet Singh, James Neesham, Rahul Yadav, Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
HR Temp Rain W. speed W. direction Clouds 00h 14 0 mm. 1.3 k/h From: NW 4% 03h 18 0 mm. 0.58 k/h From: NNE 1% 06h 23 0 mm. 1.31 k/h From: SE 0% 09h 24 0.27 mm. 1.7 k/h From: SSE 31% 12h 17 0.21 mm. 1.11 k/h From: SW 26% 15h 16 0 mm. 1.39 k/h From: NW 0% 18h 15 0 mm. 1.48 k/h From: NW 0% 21h 14 0 mm. 1.52 k/h From: NNW 0%
Weather Conditions
It will be mostly sunny in Kirtipur with a high of 21 degrees Celsius around the match time. As the match progresses, the skies over Kirtipur will get clearer with no signs of cloud or rain, with a humidity of around 70 per cent. It should be a great day for T20 cricket with no particular help for bowlers from the weather.
LBL vs JKB Pitch Report
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur Pitch Report Pitch Condition Balanced Batting Conditions Moderate Scoring Pace Bowling Swing Spin Bowling High Turn
While it has been a balanced wicket with decent help for batters, it surely tilts heavily in favour of the bowlers. It is not easy to score big and quickly on this wicket, and the batters must settle on the crease before they can accelerate the flow of runs. The average first-innings score in the last 5 matches played here is 145 runs. The team batting first in this match should aim for something over 170 runs to be in a comfortable position to win the game.
Toss: To Bowl
Considering the playing conditions at this venue and the current bowling form of the Lions, it is quite obvious that the visiting side will opt to bowl first. They have won the toss and bowled first in both their wins so far. Moreover, teams bowling first at this venue have won 3 of the last 5 Nepal Premier League matches. One of Janakpur’s two wins came while chasing a 116-run target against Kathmandu Gorkhas.
