Chitwan Rhinos beats Karnali Yaks (photos)
Ravi Bopara anchored the chase with a superb 52 off 36 balls, smashing 3 fours and 3 sixes.
KATHMANDU: Chitwan Rhinos secured a dramatic win in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Tuesday, defeating Karnali Yaks by four wickets in a high-scoring clash at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
Chasing Karnali’s target of 167 runs, Chitwan reached 171 with five balls to spare, earning two important points.
Ravi Bopara anchored the chase with a superb 52 off 36 balls, smashing 3 fours and 3 sixes.
Opener Deepak Bohara gave Chitwan a solid start with a fluent 42 off 36 deliveries, hitting 6 boundaries and a six.
Saif Zaib added 38, while captain Kushal Malla contributed 20. Arjun Saud remained unbeaten on 8 to finish the chase.
For Karnali, Sompal Kami was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets for 33 runs. Younis Singh, Mark Watt and Yuvaraj Khatri chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Karnali posted 166/3 in the allotted 20 overs.
Priyank Panchal was outstanding on his NPL debut, top-scoring with a brilliant 90 off 48 balls, hitting 7 fours and 6 sixes.
He fell just 10 runs short of a debut century.
Max O’Dowd scored 20, Mark Watt added 16, while Pawan Sarraf contributed 27. Najibullah Zadran remained not out on 4.
Chitwan’s bowling effort was led by Saif Zaib, Sohail Tanvir and Ravi Bopara, who took a wicket each.
With this victory, Chitwan Rhinos register their first points of the tournament in style.
