By Sachit Subba • Volleyball • Sep 08, 2026 16:16 PM • 41 views
At the National Sports Council Covered Hall in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu Reds won their second Nepal Volleyball League match by defeating Sagarmatha Smashers in four sets. Earlier that day, Madhesh Warriors ended their three-game losing run by sweeping Khaptad Falcons and earning their first points of the season.
Kathmandu took the lead in the evening match, winning 25-12, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20 against a tough but inconsistent team. In the second set, Sagarmatha showed a brief improvement in attack but could not build real momentum, allowing Kathmandu to set the tempo. Ahmed Mustafa was Kathmandu's main offensive contributor in all four sets; thanks to his steady scoring and defensive blocks, he was named Player of the Match. This win takes Kathmandu to four points from three matches, after a five-set win over Madhesh and a straight-sets loss to Annapurna Spiker Kings.
The loss means that Sagarmatha have now suffered two losses in a row. They had started the tournament well with a four-set win against Madhesh and a straight-sets victory over the Khaptad Falcons. They then lost a tough five-set game to Karnali on Monday before falling to Kathmandu.
In the first game, the Madhesh Warriors finally scored some points. Led by star player Rabin Nagarkoti, they beat the Khaptad Falcons 25-21, 25-20 and 25-23. Jibin Sebastian was dominant over the net and was awarded Player of the Match. The Madhesh team had three consecutive losses before this match: against Sagarmatha, in a five-set defeat to Kathmandu, and in a four-set loss to the Annapurna Spiker Kings.
As a result, the Khaptad Falcons find themselves at the bottom of the table. Although Dhirojkaji Basnet leads the team, they have not won a single set in their three matches. They had earlier lost to Sagarmatha and Karnali Shivraj. Their opportunity to reach the playoffs is now very much in jeopardy.
This six-team single round-robin tournament is the first men's franchise volleyball league in Nepal and has been organised by the Kedia Group with the assistance of the Nepal Volleyball Association; it has drawn in considerable commercial support, with Extreme Energy Drink acting as the title sponsor and other partners being Yeti Carpet, Worldlink, DAV School, Himalayan Life Insurance, the Nepal Tourism Board, Rjhans Oil and X-age.
The financial assistance brings the total prize fund to a record 3.2 million NPR, the largest purse ever offered in Nepali volleyball. When the tournament ends on Bhadra 27, the champion will receive 2 million NPR. The team that finishes first in the round-robin stage will go directly into the final, while the teams that finish in second and third place will have to play in a playoff to decide the second finalist.
