Himal Press 
In this combo photo, Bipin Khatri (left) of Gandaki and Nirmal Gurung of Lumbini celebrate their five-wicket hauls against Karnali and Bagmati, respectively.
KATHMANDU: Lumbini Province and Gandaki Province won their respective matches of the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament on Tuesday.
Lumbini defeated Bagmati by 34 runs, while Gandaki thrashed Karnali by nine wickets.
Lumbini vs Bagmati
Batting first in Match No. 42 in Janakpur, Lumbini scored 233 runs in 45.2 overs. In reply, Bagmati folded for 199 runs in 44 overs.
Although Lumbini lost opener Ranjeet Khadka (4) cheaply, other top-order batters set the foundation for a strong total. Another opener, Prajjwol Thapa, made 46, captain Dev Khanal contributed 37, and Aakash Tripathi top-scored for the side with a run-a-ball 72. Although Santosh Yadav and Dinesh Bohora chipped in with 25 and 14, respectively, the lower order failed to build on the foundation. Except for Biprason KC, who made 13, other batters failed to reach double digits.
Captain Sandeep Lamichhane and Bibek Magar claimed three wickets each for Bagmati, while Rijan Dhakal picked up two, and Pratis GC chipped in with one.
In reply, Bagmati’s top-order batters got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Ashutosh Ghiraiya made 15, Shubh Kansakar scored 12, Ringzin Lama contributed 16, and Ishan Pandey chipped in with 17. Bibek Magar top-scored for Bagmati with a 49-ball 45. Captain Lamichhane made 32 off 36 balls, while Uttam Magar scored 23 and Pratis GC contributed 14.
Nirmal Gurung claimed five wickets for Lumbini, while Biprason KC and Dinesh Bohora picked up two each, and Ajay Chauhan had one wicket to his name.
With this match, Bagmati have concluded their PM Cup campaign, finishing eighth on the table with four wins and five losses. Lumbini, on the other hand, will play their final match against Tribhuvan Army Club.
Gandaki vs Karnali
Batting first in Match No. 43 in Birgunj, Karnali folded for a paltry 72 runs. Gandaki chased down the target, losing one wicket with 222 balls remaining.
Prakash Jaishi top-scored with an unbeaten 15 after the top five Karnali batters managed only 30 runs in 10.2 overs. Captain Diwan Pun scored 14 and Arjun Gharti made 13. Other Karnali batters failed to reach double digits.
Bipin Khatri claimed five wickets for Gandaki, while Aprajit Poudel picked up three, and Subash Bhandari and Kamal Pariyar had one wicket each.
Although Gandaki lost the ever-dependable Arjun Kumal (6) cheaply in the chase, the second-wicket pair of Cibrin Shrestha (40) and Deepak Dumre (22) added 46 runs to seal the victory in 13 overs.
Bipin Sharma took the only wicket for Karnali.
With this match, both Gandaki and Karnali have concluded their PM Cup campaigns. Gandaki finished seventh on the table with four wins, four losses, and one no-result from nine matches, while Karnali ended ninth with one win, seven losses, and one no-result.
