KATHMANDU, Dec 7: Karnali Yaks secured a hard-fought victory against Biratnagar Kings by 7 runs, thanks to an excellent contribution from their bowlers in the 13th match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 134 runs, Biratnagar Kings were restricted to 126 runs, losing 8 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Karnali Yaks' bowler Nandan Yadav played a key role, taking three important wickets for just 19 runs in four overs.
Similarly, Bipin Sharma supported him by taking 2 wickets for just 20 runs in 4 overs, while captain Sompal Kami, William Basisto, and Unish Thakuri each took one wicket.
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For Biratnagar Kings, Nicholas Kirton scored 40 runs, Lokesh Bam made 19, and Deepak Bohara added 18 runs, while the others were unable to make significant contributions.
Earlier, Biratnagar King's bowlers also delivered an excellent bowling performance, restricting Karnali Yaks to 133 runs. However, batsmen Dev Khanal and William Basisto put on a century partnership, with both players hitting half-centuries.
In the first 3 overs, Biratnagar King's bowlers dominated Karnali Yaks, as Indian star batsman Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed for 5 runs and another batsman, Chadwick Walton, was out for just 1 run.
Afterwards, Dev and William, who came to the crease, stabilized Karnali Yaks' innings and put together a 102-run partnership. Dev scored 53 runs off 48 balls, hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Similarly, William faced 49 balls and contributed 66 runs, including 5 fours and 3 sixes. To help Karnali Yaks score 133 runs in 20 overs.
To restrict Karnali to a moderate score, Biratnagar Kings's bowler Pratish GC took 4 wickets for 17 runs in 4 overs. He claimed 3 wickets in his 20th over, during which a batter was also run out.
Similarly, Chris Sole took 2 wickets for 26 runs in 4 overs, Basir Ahmed took 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs, and Aqib Iiyas took 1 wicket for 31 runs in 4 overs. Captain Sandeep Lamichhane, however, proved expensive, conceding 36 runs in 4 overs.
