KATHMANDU, May 5: Bowlers turned in a quality performance in the final match as departmental team Tribhuvan Army Club defeated New Horizon Butwal by 59 runs to win the second edition of Karnali Premier League (KPL) held at Kalinchowk Cricket Ground in Surkhet on Saturday. Player of the match Hari Bahadur Chauhan’s half-century helped post a total of 146 runs before dismissing the New Horizon for 87 runs to seal the title.
Jeetendra Mukhiya and Shahab Alam shared three wickets each as New Horizon stumbled for 87 all out in 18.3 overs. Mukhiya conceded right runs from his spell of 3.3 overs which included a maiden over.
Susan Bhari and Sompal Kami picked up two and a wicket respectively as Bishal Sunar was the only New Horizon batsman able to cross 20 runs mark. Sunar scored 26 runs off 25 deliveries which included four boundaries.
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Likewise, Nischal Chaudhary’s 19 runs from as many deliveries including three boundaries and a six was second highest individual score of the innings. Subhendu Pandey, Arjun Rayamajhi and Bipin Khatri were dismissed for a duck.
Earlier, Army won the toss and elected to bat first. Under-19 all-rounder Hari Bahadur Chauhan shared a partnership of 95 runs with opening batsman Raju Rijal for the second wicket after the early fall of skipper Binod Bhandari for a duck.
Rijal scored 34 runs from 36 deliveries which included a boundary and two sixes. However, Chauhan played a crucial hand of 56 runs off as many deliveries to help the departmental team post a total of 146 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.
The following Army batsmen struggled to stitch any partnership before Bhim Sarki, batting at number eight, smashed unbeaten 21 runs from seven deliveries which included three sixes to boost the final total.
Bikash Shrestha picked up two wickets for New Horizon supported by Rahul Prajapati, Bipin Khatri and Akhilesh Yadav’s a wicket each. The player of the match of the semifinal Shakti Gauchan conceded 39 runs in his four overs in the match.
However, Gauchan won the player of the tournament award and received the cash prize of Rs 50,000. Similarly, Karnali XI’s Rabindra Jung Shah and Army’s Sushan Bhari won best batsman and bowler of the tournament respectively.
