Kathmandu, Nov. 20 -- The fans of Sudurpaschim Royals, the franchise representing the far western region of the country, owned the TU International Cricket Stadium in Kathmandu during the match against the home side, Kathmandu Gorkhas, on Wednesday. "I am so thankful for these fans," the Royals' head coach Jagat Tamata said in the post-match conference after the win. "It is a blessing to have these fans as a backup."

Sudurpaschim, who were invited to bat first after Kathmandu won the toss, had a start they would never want to remember and repeat again. The Royals lost the openers-Josh Brown and Binod Bhandari-for a duck in the very first over, bowled by the Gorkhas' skipper Karan KC.

And the wound only got deeper when the Australian pow...