Karnali Yaks' side won't feature Shikhar Dhawan in the Eliminator. Photo: X | Karnali YaksKarnali Yaks' side won't feature Shikhar Dhawan in the Eliminator. Photo: X | Karnali Yaks

The Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024 playoffs kick off with the Eliminator between Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks in Kirtipur on Wednesday (December 18). Watch the first NPL 2024 play-off match live. (More Cricket News)pera play

The inaugural edition of the NPL witnessed eight teams fight for the title. After 28 league matches, four teams remain in contention: Sudurpaschim Royals, Janakpur Bolts, Chitwan Rhinos, and Karnali Yaks. Kathmandu Gurkhas, Biratnagar Kings, Pokhara Avengers and Lumbini Lions have failed to make the playoffs.

The Gurkhas also registered four wins in seven outings, but they settled for a fifth-place finish thanks to an inferior Net Run Rate of -0.321 as against Rhinos' 0.634 and Yaks' -0.184. The Kings and Avengers managed two wins, while the Lions tasted one.

NPL 2024 League Stage Points Table

PosTeamPWLNRPtsNRR1Sudurpaschim Royals7610122.0872Janakpur Bolts7520100.1643Chitwan Rhinos743080.6344Karnali Yaks74308-0.1845Kathmandu Gurkhas74308-0.3216Biratnagar Kings72504-0.7037Pokhara Avengers72504-1.3328Lumbini Lions71602-0.498

Sudurpaschim Royals topped the table with 12 points from six wins and one defeat, while Janakpur Bolts, with 10 points (five wins and two defeats), are second. They will face off in the Qualifier 1, with the winners getting a direct final spot. Check the match and telecast details of the Royals vs Bolts Qualifier 1 here.

The NPL 2024 play-offs, however, will start with the Eliminator between Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks. Both teams accumulated eight points each from their respective seven matches (four wins, three defeats), but the Rhinos finished third thanks to their superior NRR.

The winners of the Eliminator will take on the losers of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 for a place in the final.

In their previous meeting, in the 10th match of the regular season, the Yaks successfully chased down a target of 131 runs with one ball to spare for a six-wicket win. International stars Ravi Bopara (59 not out) of the Rhinos and Shikhar Dhawan (45) of the Yaks top-scored for their respective teams, but the player of the match was Bipin Sharma who took three wickets for 21 to set up the win.

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Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks match details

Date: December 18, 2024 (Wednesday)

Time: 9:00 AM IST (8:45 AM local time)

Venue: Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur

How to watch Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks, NPL match?

The Nepal Premier League 2024 live streaming is available on FanCode in India. In Nepal, the hugely popular T20 cricket league is available on Dish Home Media Network and Action Sports HD.

Star Sports Network is the official broadcaster of the NPL, and matches are shown live on its Star Sports Select channels. In the USA and Canada, NPL matches can be watched live on Willow TV.

Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks squads

Chitwan Rhinos: Kushal Malla (c), Kamal Singh Airee, Deepak Bohara, Rijan Dhakal, Basil Hameed, Marchant de Lange, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Hassan Eisakhil, Santosh Karki, Luc Benkenstein, Gautam KC, Sallahuddin Khan, Ranjit Kumar, Bipin Rawal (wk), Ravi Bopara, Amar Routela, Nar Sarki, Dipesh Shrestha, Sohail Tanveer, Sharad Vesawkar.

Kamal Singh Airee and Marchant de Lange are unavailable due to injuries.

Karnali Yaks: Sompal Kami (c), Will Bosisto, Mousom Dhakal, Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Dumre, Rit Gautam, Arjun Gharti (wk), Babar Hayat, Gulshan Jha, Dev Khanal, Bhuvan Karki, Zeeshan Maqsood, Dipendra Rawat, Bipin Sharma, Unish Singh, Nandan Yadav, Chadwick Walton (wk).

The team led by Ammad Butt, finally secured their first victory with a 2-1 win over Japan and then delivered a decisive 5-1 win against China, to enter the semi-finals. Their final pool match ended in a narrow 2-1 loss to India.

Shikhar Dhawan left NPL after turning up for the Yaks in their league match against Biratnagar Kings on December 7.pera play

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