Bagmati, Karnali win in PM Cup

Himal Press 18 Mar 2025

KATHMANDU: Bagmati Province secured a 69-run victory over Gandaki Province in Match No. 24 of the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament on Tuesday.

Batting first at the Siddhartha Cricket Stadium in Bhairahawa, Bagmati posted a competitive total of 288 runs for the loss of eight wickets, thanks to half-centuries from three of their batters. In response, Gandaki was bowled out for 219 runs in 44 overs.

Despite losing opener Ashutosh Ghiraiya (14) early, Bagmati recovered through a 90-run partnership for the second wicket between Ishan Pandey (69) and Shubh Kansakar (52). After the dismissals of Captain Prithu Baskota (16) and Suman Sunar (1), Bibek Magar (34), Bipin Acharya (63*), and Rijan Dhakal (23) steadied the innings and took Bagmati close to the 300-run mark.

Arjun Kumal claimed four wickets for Bagmati, while Bipin Khatri and Subash Bhandari took one wicket each.

Chasing 289 runs for their second victory in the PM Cup, Gandaki’s batters got off to a decent start but failed to build long partnerships. Sameer Kandel scored 26, while Arjun Kumal contributed 14. Vansh Chhetri kept Gandaki in the hunt with a gritty 55 off 90 balls, but lacked support from the other end. Amrit Gurung (20), Deepak Dumre (19), Kamal Pariyar (19), and Subash Bhandari (18*) tried to contribute, but their efforts fell short.

Ishan Pandey shone with the ball as well, taking four wickets to cap off an excellent all-round performance. Sakar Gajurel picked up two wickets, while Rijan Dhakal and Gautam KC claimed one each.

Karnali Province vs Koshi Province

In Match No. 25 of the PM Cup, Karnali Province defeated Koshi Province by 127 runs, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 88 off 95 balls by lower-order batter Arjun Gharti.

Batting first at the ExtraTech Oval, Karnali posted 218 runs for the loss of nine wickets and then bowled out Koshi for a mere 91 runs in 35 overs.

Karnali had a shaky start with the bat, losing three wickets for just 37 runs in 7.3 overs. Openers Sunil Dhamala (13) and Bipin Rawal (10) fell early, while Nischal Rawal contributed 20. However, Himanshu Shahi (46 off 73 balls) and Arjun Gharti’s resilient knock propelled Karnali past the 200-run mark.

Bipin Mahato took three wickets for Koshi. Dipesh Kandel claimed two, while Sharwan Kisku and Sujan Thapaliya chipped in with one wicket each.

In reply, Koshi started steadily with an opening partnership of 31 runs between Chirag Sah (25) and Shakib Haq (13). However, it lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter. Captain Ankit Subedi managed only 10 runs, and none of the other batters reached double figures.

Sunil Dhamala and Dipendra Rawat took three wickets each for Karnali, while Diwan Pun claimed two and Anuj Chanara added one to his tally.

Wednesday’s Matches