PM Cup: Nepal APF defeat Koshi, Bagmati see off Madhesh

KATHMANDU: Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) Club and Bagmati Province won their respective matches in the PM Cup Men’s National Tournament on Friday.

Nepal APF registered a narrow five-run victory over Koshi Province, while Bagmati defeated Madhesh Province by 35 runs.

Nepal APF vs Koshi Province
Batting first in Match No. 36 in Janakpur, Nepal APF scored a modest total of 225, losing all wickets in 46.5 overs. Chasing a target of 226 runs to register their first win, Koshi were all out for 220 runs in 49.5 overs.

Although Nepal APF’s top-order fell cheaply, Sundeep Jora scored 72 off 94 balls to steady the innings. He found support at the other end from Sumit Mahrjan, who made 57 off 73 balls. Amer Routela and Captain Rohit Paudel contributed with 27* and 20, respectively, while Yuvraj Khatri made 11.

Sujan Thapaliya claimed three wickets for Koshi, while Bipin Mahato and Dipesh Kandel picked up two each, and Rohan Shah contributed one.

Although Koshi added 122 for the first wicket, other batters failed to capitalize on the solid platform. Openers Suman Shrestha and Ankit Subedi scored 65 and 72, respectively. Rohan Shah (32) and Ashish Magar (17) were the only other batters who reached double digits for Koshi.

Avishek Gautam claimed our wickets for Nepal APF, while Captain Paudel picked up two, and Bhuvan Karki and Amar Routela contributed a wicket each.

Bagmati vs Madhesh
Batting first in Match No. 37 in Birgunj, Bagmati folded for a low total of 208 runs in 48.4 overs. Chasing 209 to move up to third in the table, Madhesh were bundled out for 173 in 34.3 overs.

Uttam Magar top-scored for Bagmati with a 44 off 76 balls. Captain Sandeep Lamichhane made 36 off 34 balls, while Ringzin Lama, Ashutosh Ghiraiya, Rijan Dhakal, and Ishan Pandey contributed 29, 18, 15, and 11, respectively. Other Bagmati batters failed to reach double digits.

Pawan Sarraf picked up three wickets for Madhesh, while Mohammad Aadil Alam and Ranjit Kumar claimed two each, and Bishal Patel and Arniko Yadav chipped in with a wicket each.

Chasing 209, Madhesh’s top-order batters got off to a good start but failed to convert it into a big total. Openers Mayan Yadav and Md Samir made 40 and 16, respectively, while Captain Anil Sah scored 26 off 29 balls. Mohammad Aadil Alam, Bishal Shusling, and Abhishekh Tiwari contributed 27, 21, and 10, respectively.

Pratish GC claimed five wickets for Bagmati, while Rijan Dhakal took two, and Captain Lamichhane and Subash Khatri picked up one each.