Anil Sah: ‘We lacked key partnerships’

KATHMANDU: Janakpur Bolts captain Anil Sah has attributed his team’s defeat in the opening match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 2 to the failure of top-order batters to support opener Aasif Sheikh.

Janakpur began their campaign with a loss against Kathmandu Gorkhas on Monday.

Speaking after the match, Sah said the top order could not build partnerships, resulting in batting pressure throughout the innings.

Because of the poor start, the team fell short of their target of around 160 runs, he added.

Sah acknowledged that the total they put up was below par. Continuous loss of wickets and the inability to build partnerships remained their biggest weakness. He also noted that the pitch offered some assistance to spinners.

Despite the defeat, Sah said Janakpur feels no pressure as defending champions, and the team is committed to playing the remaining matches with the intent to retain the title. With enough time before the next game, he expects clear improvements.

Sah also shared his excitement about playing under floodlights for the first time.

On the winning side, Kathmandu Gorkhas captain Karan KC said the victory resulted from strong collective team effort.

He mentioned that understanding the TU ground pitch is difficult, which is why they opted to bowl first after winning the toss.

Although they expected limited assistance for spinners, the conditions turned out differently.

KC said that even a target of 131 runs was not as easy as it looked, but the team handled the chase well.

He added that starting the first-ever day-night match of the NPL with a win was a positive sign.

He expressed confidence that, unlike last season where they missed the playoffs on net run rate, the Gorkhas are on track to reach the second round this time.