Namibian pace bowler Ruben Trumpelmann won the player of the tournament award in the Nepal Premier League after helping his side, the Lumbini Lions, win the title on Saturday.
In the final Trumpelmann once again excelled with the ball, taking three wickets for three runs to guide the Lions to a six-wicket victory against Sudur Paschim Royals.
Trumpelmann already struck in the first over, dismissing Binod Bhandari for a duck and when he dismissed Sheldon Jackson for one the next over, the Royals were struggling at 7/2.
They could not recover and were all out for a mere 85 when Trumpelmann dismissed the last batter Abinash Bohara for one.
The Lions easily reached the winning target for the loss of four wickets with more than half their overs remaining to clinch the 2025 Nepal Premier League title.
Trumpelmann won the player of the match award as well as the player of the series award after playing a starring role for the Lions throughout the series.
He was the fourth highest wicket taker with 15 wickets at an average of 14.93 in 10 matches, finishing behind Sandeep Lamichane, Abinash Bohara and Sher Malla who all took 17 wickets.
Trumpelmann also made some useful contributions with the bat, scoring 65 runs with a highest score of 29 not out and an average of 21,66.
Trumpelmann’s compatriot JJ Smit was also a member of the Lions squad but did not feature in Saturday’s final.
Two other Namibian players – Nicol Loftie-Eaton and Gerhard Erasmus – gave solid performances for their respective teams, the Janakpur Bolts and the Kathmandu Gorkhas.
Loftie-Eaton, who also captained the Bolts, scored 108 runs in seven matches with a top score of 41 and an average of 18,00, while Erasmus scored 71 runs in five matches with a top score of 43 not out and an average of 23,66.
The Gorkhas finished third on the log to qualify for the semifinals where they lost by four wickets to the Lions on 10 December.
The Bolts, however, failed to make the knockout stages after finishing bottom of the log amongst the eight competing teams.
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