PM Cup: NPC, TAC register successive wins

Himal Press 12 Mar 2025

PM Cup: NPC, TAC register successive wins

KATHMANDU: Nepal Police Club (NPC) defeated Koshi Province by 154 runs to record its second win in as many games in the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament at Siddhartha Cricket Stadium in Rupandehi on Wednesday.

Batting first, NPC scored 288 runs for the loss of eight wickets as Kushal Bhurtel and Dilip Nath struck half-centuries. In reply, Koshi Province folded for 134 runs in 36.2 overs, recording its third loss in as many games.

Arjun Saud and Kushal Bhurtel gave NPC a solid start, adding 69 runs for the first wicket. Although the department side lost opener Arjun Saud (38) as well as Amit Shrestha (1) and Aarif Sheikh (9) in the space of four overs, Bhurtel (65) found support from Captain Dipendra Singh Airee (32). Dilip Nath (61), Gulshan Jha (21), and Rashid Khan (38) also added valuable runs as NPC posted the highest total of the tournament so far.

Bhupal Luitel claimed three wickets for Koshi, while Prakash Karki took two, and Firdosh Ansari, Sharwan Kisku, and Dipesh Kandel each took one wicket.

Koshi lost opener Suvan Gahatraj (3) early in the chase, which triggered a batting collapse. Firdosh Ansari (10), Samir Karki (6), and Dipesh Kandel (8) all fell cheaply. Sujan Thapaliya scored an unbeaten 33, but he did not find support from the other end as Bhupal Luitel (9), Sharwan Kisku (1), and Prakash Karki (0) failed to contribute with the bat.

Karan KC rattled Koshi’s innings with three wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi and Kushal Bhurtel claimed two each, and Sagar Dhakal, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Gulshan Jha each took one wicket.

Sudurpashchim vs Tribhuvan Army

Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) defeated Sudurpashchim Province by eight wickets in Match No. 9 of the PM Cup.

Batting first at Siddhartha Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, TAC bundled out Sudurpashchim for 119 runs in 23.5 overs and achieved the target losing two wickets with 157 balls remaining.

Apart from Nischal Kshetri’s unbeaten 49 off 121 balls, other Sudurpashchim players failed to perform with the bat. Sunil Chand and Narayan Joshi scored 16 each. Other Sudurpashchim batters failed to reach double digits.

Shahab Alam claimed four wickets for TAC, while Sompal Kami grabbed two, and Aakash Chand, Naren Saud, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Malla, and Aakash Chand took one wicket each.

TAC made a flying start in the chase as openers Trit Raj Das (31) and Santosh Karki (55*) added 53 runs for the first wicket.

Although Trit Raj fell in the 12th over and Bhim Sharki (1) followed soon after, Karki found support from Captain Binod Bhandari as TAC chased down the target in just 23.5 overs.

Thursday’s Matches