‘Pokhara Avengers’ Make Stunning Comeback, Beat ‘Karnali Yaks’ by 63 Runs

KATHMANDU: ‘Pokhara Avengers’ secured their first victory of the season with a commanding 63-run win over ‘Karnali Yaks’ in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), currently underway in the capital.

In the first match of the day, Pokhara posted 217 for three in their allotted 20 overs before bowling out Karnali for 154 in 18.3 overs.

The victory gave Pokhara their first two points after five matches. Karnali, meanwhile, slipped to seventh place following their third defeat in five games. They have won only two matches so far.

Chasing a target of 218, Karnali failed to build a winning response. Pawan Sarraf scored 32, Ariful Islam made 24 and Deepak Dumre contributed 22, but their efforts were not enough to secure victory.

For Pokhara, Mehidy Hasan claimed three wickets, while Dhananjaya Lakshan, Kushal Bhurtel and Bipin Khatri took two wickets each.

Earlier, after winning the toss at the Kirtipur ground and electing to bat, Pokhara scored 217 runs for the loss of three wickets. It was the highest total of the ongoing tournament.

Yuvraj Samra led the innings with a century, scoring 102 runs, while Kushal Bhurtel contributed 62. The pair shared a record 136-run partnership, the highest stand of the ongoing season.

Samra’s century was also the first hundred of this NPL season. Karnali captain Sompal Kami took two wickets, while Mark Watt claimed one.

In the second match of the day, ‘Chitwan Rhinos’ are scheduled to face ‘Kathmandu Gorkhas’.