Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal Police Club (NPC) extended its winning run to seven with a 93-run victory over Bagmati Province in the PM Cup Men’s National Tournament on Thursday.
Batting first, NPC scored 297 – the highest score in the tournament so far – for the loss of eight wickets. In reply, Bagmati Province was all out for 204 runs in 45.2 overs.
Openers Kushal Bhurtel (88) and Amit Shrestha (48) gave NPC a solid start with a 124-run partnership in 20.5 overs. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee scored a 46-ball 60, and Aarif Sheikh contributed 38 runs to take NPC’s score near the 300-run mark. Gulshan Jha and Dilip Nath chipped in with 16 and 10 runs, respectively.
Pratis GC claimed three wickets for Bagmati, while Rijan Dhakal, Ishan Pandey, Sagar Gajurel, and Bipin Acharya took one wicket each.
Although Bagmati lost Ashutosh Ghiraiya (12) early in the chase, Ishan Pandey (70) and Shubh Kansakar (36) steadied the innings. However, Bagmati lost wickets at regular intervals after the duo fell. Captain Prithu Baskota could only manage 11 runs, while Bipin Acharya and Surya Tamang contributed 20 and 17, respectively. Pratis GC and Rijan Dhakal added 14 and 10 runs, respectively.
Lalit Rajbanshi grabbed four wickets for NPC, while Kushal Bhurtel took three, Karan KC claimed two, and Gulshan Jha chipped in with one wicket.
Karnali Province vs Lumbini Province
Karnali defeated Lumbini by five runs in Match No. 29 of the PM Cup at the Siddhartha Cricket Stadium in Bhairahawa.
Batting first, Karnali scored 205 runs in 48.5 overs and then bundled out Lumbini for 200 runs in a low-scoring thriller to keep their hunt for a top-four finish alive.
Dipendra Rawat (66) and Arjun Gharti (56) scored valuable runs for Karnali after they lost six wickets with just 56 runs on the board. Sunil Dhamala (19), Dinesh Adhikari (16), Nischal Rawal (11), and Bipin Rawal (10) contributed valuable runs for Karnali.
Ramesh Kurmi claimed three wickets, while Nirmal Gurung, Ajay Chauhan, and Biprason KC grabbed two wickets each for Lumbini. Captain Dev Khanal also took one wicket.
Lumbini’s top order also crumbled in the chase, losing three wickets for 51 runs in 13.3 overs. Captain Khanal (40) and Prajjwol Thapa (84) steadied Lumbini’s innings. However, Lumbini experienced a batting collapse after the duo’s innings ended, with their last six batters failing to reach double figures.
Dinesh Adhikari and Dipendra Rawat claimed three wickets each for Karnali, while Prakash Jaishi grabbed two, and Diwan Pun and Sunil Dhamala chipped in with one wicket each.
Friday’s Matches
- Nepal APF Club vs Sudurpashchim Province
- Karnali Province vs Madhesh Province
- Gandaki Province vs Tribhuvan Army Club
