Kathmandu, October 27
Karnali Yaks began their Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 3 campaign with a victory, defeating Janakpur Bolts after bowling them out for 113 runs while chasing a target of 133 at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground.
Janakpur, chasing 133 for victory, were all out for 113 in 19.3 overs, falling short despite a fighting effort from their middle order.
Abhishek Tiwari was Janakpur’s top scorer with 20 runs. Captain Harmeet Singh and Moeen Ali contributed 19 runs each, while Jimmy Neesham scored 15 and Mayank Yadav added 14.
Anil Kumar Sah made 11, while Kushal Parewa scored six. Tirtharaj Das managed one run, and Aditya Mehta was dismissed without scoring. Lalit Rajbanshi also scored one, while Rahul Yadav remained unbeaten on one.
Karnali’s bowlers led the defence, with Younis Thakuri and Hussain Talat claiming three wickets apiece. Thakuri returned figures of three wickets for an undisclosed number of runs in his four overs, including a maiden.
Thakuri’s double strike in a single over, dismissing Janakpur captain Harmeet and Neesham, shifted the momentum firmly in Karnali’s favour. Nandan Yadav took two wickets, while captain Sompal Kami claimed one.
Earlier, Karnali, who were put in to bat, posted 132-9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Opener Ariful Islam top-scored with 43 off 29 balls, hitting four boundaries, while Pawan Sarraf contributed 37 from 37 deliveries.
Karnali endured a shaky start, losing opener Mark Watt for one on the final ball of the first over. They lost their first wicket with just four runs on the board before Rahul Yadav, making his debut for Janakpur as an iconic player, struck with his first ball to dismiss Dipak Dumre for 13.
Karnali were reduced further when Hussain Talat fell for three, leaving the side struggling at 37 runs for three wickets.
Ariful and Sarraf then steadied the innings with a 42-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Ariful’s dismissal for 43 and Sarraf’s departure for 37, however, prevented Karnali from building a bigger total.
Akbar Ali and Sompal Kami managed just one run each, while Gulshan Jha scored 12 and Nandan Yadav made nine. Yuvraj Khatri and Younis Thakuri remained unbeaten as Karnali finished on 132-9.
For Janakpur, captain Harmeet Singh took three wickets. Moeen Ali and Rahul Yadav claimed two wickets each, while Lalit Rajbanshi picked up one.
In the other NPL fixture scheduled for Tuesday, Pokhara Avengers will face Sudurpaschim Royals at 5 pm.
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