KATHMANDU, Nov 30: Karnali Yaks have set a modest but competitive target of 150 runs for Kathmandu Gorkhas in the 19th match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Sunday.
Winning the toss at the TU Cricket Ground, Karnali opted to bat first and posted 149 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Their innings, however, began in disastrous fashion. On the very first ball of the match, opener Priyank Panchal fell for a duck to Karan KC. Moments later, fellow opener William Bosisto was run out for just 1, leaving Karnali reeling at 1 for 2 by the end of the first over.
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Despite the early collapse, the middle order attempted to steady the innings. Mark Watt contributed 30 off 27, while Pawan Sarraf added a crucial 35 off 29. Najibullah Zadran chipped in with 12.
Just when Karnali looked in danger of folding for a below-par total, Gulsan Jha revived the innings with a late onslaught. Batting at number seven, the young all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 49 off just 22 balls, striking six fours and three sixes at an explosive strike rate of 222.72. He fell agonizingly short of a half-century by just one run.
Captain Sompal Kami managed 6, Deepak Dumre added 10, while Nandan Yadav remained unbeaten on 1.
For Kathmandu Gorkhas, Rashid Khan picked up 2 wickets for 37 from his four overs, while skipper Karan KC claimed 1 for 26. Milind Kumar and Santosh Yadav also took one wicket each.
Kathmandu Gorkhas are set to begin their chase shortly.
