Article detail

Kathmandu — Karnali Yaks defeated Janakpur Bolts by 3 runs in the final league-stage match of the ongoing Nepal Premier League (NPL) Season 2.

In the match played at the TU Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur on Sunday, Karnali secured a narrow win after restricting Janakpur to 126 runs for 7 wickets while defending a target of 130.

Chasing 130, Janakpur played their full 20 overs but fell short by 3 runs, finishing at 126/7. After losing 4 wickets for just 29 runs, Sanjay Krishnamurthy kept Janakpur in the game with a half-century. He scored 51 runs off 39 balls, hitting 1 four and 4 sixes.

Opener Maaz Sadaqat contributed 12 runs, while fellow opener Aasif Sheikh and Anil Sah were dismissed for ducks. Mayan Yadav added 9 runs, and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton remained unbeaten. However, Janakpur failed to score the 14 runs required in the final over.

For Karnali, William Bosisto picked up 2 wickets, while Mark Watt, Pawan Sarraf, and captain Sompal Kami took 1 wicket each.

Earlier, put into bat after losing the toss, Karnali posted 129/9 in their allotted 20 overs.

Opener Imran Sheikh top-scored for Karnali with 33 runs, while Gulshan Jha added 19. Mark Watt was dismissed for 4, Priyank Panchal scored 16, and William Bosisto contributed 15 runs. Najibullah Zadran scored 13, and captain Sompal Kami added 18.

For Janakpur, Lalit Rajbanshi and Aditya Mahato picked up 2 wickets each, while Anil Sah, Maaz Sadaqat, and Sangit Kure took 1 wicket apiece.

With this defeat, Janakpur Bolts—the champions of the inaugural NPL season—finished at the bottom of the points table, ending their campaign in disappointment.