KATHMANDU, Dec 23: Bowlers led by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi held their nerves defending a total of 155 runs to propel Lalitpur Patriots to its first Everest Premier League (EPL) win defeating Bhairahawa Gladiators by 14 runs in the final match played at the Tribhuvan University international cricket ground in Kirtipur on Saturday. Biratnagar Warriors had won the title last season defeating the same team Gladiators in the final.

The lanky left-arm spinner Rajbanshi picked important wickets of Sharad Vesawkar and Mohammad Naveed when Gladiators were well placed to enforce a win on 116 runs for the loss of four wickets in the 17th over needing another 40 runs in last 20 deliveries with six wickets in hand. Vesawkar was batting on 14 runs from 12 deliveries whereas Naveed had smashed two boundaries during his 7-ball 10 runs, Rajbanshi had also removed Ryan ten Doeschate at the start of the innings for 14 runs from 10 deliveries bagging him the player-of-the-match award for the impressive performance under pressure in the final.

The two most successful bowlers of the campaign for Patriots, Pawan Sarraf and Yogendra Singh Karki, chipped with two wickets apiece to help limit Gladiators for 141 runs for the loss of nine wickets at the end of 20 overs. In-form batsman Kushal Malla was run-out for 16 runs from eight deliveries by Jaikishan Kolsawala ending any hopes of a win for Gladiators. Pradeep Airee was top-scorer for the chasing team with 34 runs from 22 deliveries which included four boundaries and a six at top of the order. Similarly, the player-of-the-series Ravi Inder Singh could only make 29 runs from 32 deliveries before being dismissed by Sarraf. This is a second successive defeat for Gladiators in the EPL finals.

Earlier, Patriots were invited to bat first after Gladiators won the toss. A crowd of around 20,000 people flocked the cricket ground to watch the final match. The Gujarat batsman Jaikishan Kolsawala led the batting with patient 57 runs from 52 deliveries which included three fours and three sixes. The left-handed batsman was the seventh wicket to go down as Gladiators bowlers made a fight back in the match after conceding 127 runs in 15 overs. Patriots lost seven wickets for 45 runs being bundled out for 155 runs in the 19.1 overs. 

Nepal U-19 batsman Sandeep Jhora was the second best scorer of the innings with 24 runs from 11 deliveries which included a boundary and two sixes.

Krishna Karki was instrumental with the ball in the end overs of the first innings picking up three wickets from his two overs conceding 15 runs. Overseas bowlers Naveed and ten Doeschate shared two wickets each supported by Vesawkar and Bhuvan Karki’s a wicket each.

 
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