In the match held on Wednesday at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground, Kathmandu Gurkhas defeated Karnali by 3 wickets.
Batting first, Karnali set a target of 150 runs for Kathmandu, thanks to Shikhar Dhawan’s impressive 72-run innings. Shikhar, who remained unbeaten, scored 72 runs off 52 balls. However, his performance was overshadowed by Kathmandu’s Karan KC, whose explosive batting turned the game around.
For Kathmandu, Sumit Maharjan contributed 40 runs off 37 balls, while Gerhard Erasmus added 38 runs from 28 balls. Michael Levitt scored 22 runs off 19 balls. Captain and all-rounder Karan KC played a crucial role, smashing 28 runs off just 10 balls, which helped Kathmandu snatch the game from Karnali.
Earlier, Karnali batted first after losing the toss and scored 149 runs for 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Shikhar Dhawan’s 72 was his first half-century in the NPL. Other contributors for Karnali included Chadwick Walton (21), Zeeshan Maqsood (14), Babar Hayat (13), and Gulshan Jha (12).
For Kathmandu, Gerhard Erasmus took 2 wickets, while Nathan Swarter, Dipesh Kandel, and Karan KC picked up one wicket each.
This was Kathmandu’s first win in the tournament after losing their opening match to Chitwan by 5 wickets. On the other hand, Karnali Yaks had previously lost to Janakpur Bolts by 8 wickets.