Gurkhas beat Janakpur by 5 wickets in NPL opener

KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Gurkhas began the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on a winning note, defeating defending champions Janakpur Bolts by five wickets in the opening match held today at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

Chasing a target of 131 runs, Kathmandu reached 132/5 in 18 overs.

Ben Charlesworth starred with a quickfire 46 off 23 balls, smashing five fours and three sixes.

Aakash Tripathi supported with 39 runs, while Milind Kumar and John Simpson contributed 19 and 13 runs respectively.

For Janakpur, Kishor Mahato, Anil Sah, Sanjay Krishnamurthy and Lalit Rajbanshi took one wicket each.

Earlier, Janakpur posted 130/6 in the allotted 20 overs after being invited to bat first.

Aasif Sheikh top-scored with a solid 54 off 41 deliveries, hitting six fours and a six. Mayan Yadav added 34 runs, while Lahiru Samarakon scored 22. Lahiru Milantha was dismissed for 7.

Kathmandu’s Milind Kumar impressed with the ball, taking three wickets. Santosh Yadav, Sahab Alam and Karan KC claimed one wicket each.

In the first edition of the tournament, Janakpur had defeated Kathmandu by the same margin of five wickets.

The tournament, which kicked off today, will run until Mangsir 27.

The champions will receive Rs 1 crore 10 lakh, while the runner-up will take home Rs 51 lakh.

The team finishing third will earn Rs 15 lakh.

On Tuesday, Chitwan Rhinos will face Karnali Yaks in the first match at 11:45 AM, followed by Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers at 4:00 PM.