Gandaki extends losing run to five; TAC, APF Club, Karnali win in PM Cup

KATHMANDU: Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) Club climbed to third on the table with a three-wicket victory over Sudurpaschim Province in Match No. 31 of the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament on Friday.

Batting first at the Siddhartha Cricket Stadium in Bhairahawa, Sudurpaschim was all out for 191 runs in 48.4 overs. APF chased down the target in 36.3 overs, losing seven wickets.

Although Sudurpaschim lost opener Khadak Bohora (7) early, Prakash Pandey (42) and Nischal Kshetri (57) added 91 runs for the second wicket. However, Sudurpaschim lost wickets at regular intervals after the partnership was broken, with only three of the last seven batters reaching double figures.

Rohit Paudel and Amar Routela took three wickets each for APF, while Bhuvan Karki claimed one, and Avishek Gautam also took a wicket.

Sandeep Jora (51) and Aasif Sheikh (32) kept APF on track in the chase, even though wickets fell at regular intervals. Lokesh Bam scored 19, Dipak Bohora contributed 16, Sumit Maharjan chipped in with 12, and Captain Rohit Paudel and Bhuvan Karki scored 14 each for APF.

Sher Malla, Bikash Aagri, and Narayan Joshi claimed two wickets each for Sudurpaschim.

Karnali Province vs Madhesh Province

Karnali Province boosted its chances for a top-four finish with an 81-run victory over Madhesh Province in Match No. 32 of the PM Cup.

Batting first at the ExtraTech Oval in Bhairahawa, Karnali scored 220 runs, losing all wickets in 49.1 overs. In reply, Madhesh folded for 139 runs in 35.2 overs.

Karnali was four wickets down with 48 runs on the board in 10 overs. However, Dipendra Rawat (61) and Arjun Gharti (26) steadied Karnali’s innings, and Dinesh Adhikari (24) and Prakash Jaishi (20) added valuable runs to take the score past 200.

Rupesh Singh, Ranjit Kumar, Harishankar Shah, Kamal Gupta, and Anil Sah took two wickets each for Madhesh.

Madhesh’s batting crumbled in the chase, as only four batters reached double digits. Rupesh Singh scored 30, Bishal Patel contributed 25, and Harishankar Shah and Sumit Shah chipped in with 18 and 10 runs, respectively.

Dinesh Adhikari took four wickets for Karnali, while Dipendra Rawat grabbed three, Prakash Jaishi got two, and Sunil Dhamala claimed one wicket.

Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) vs Gandaki Province

Gandaki extended its losing run to five, suffering a six-wicket loss to TAC in Match No. 33 of the PM Cup.

Batting first at the Deukhuri Cricket Stadium in Lamahi, Gandaki folded for 116 runs, as only four of its batters managed double figures. TAC chased down the target losing four wickets in 26.5 overs.

Arjun Kumal top-scored for Gandaki with a 49-ball 33, while Deepak Dumre scored 19. Tailenders Kamal Pariyar (17) and Bipin Khatri (15) gave some respectability to the total.

Shahab Alam took five wickets, while Kushal Malla and Naren Saud claimed two wickets each for TAC.

Although TAC lost Captain Bipin Bhandari for 1 in the chase, Trit Raj Das scored 37, and Basir Ahamad hit an unbeaten 32 from 38 balls to keep TAC on the hunt. Bhim Sarki, Imran Sheikh, and Sompal Kami contributed 14, 12, and 10 runs, respectively.

Tomorrow’s Match:

• Bagmati Province vs Koshi Province