Kathmandu, December 3
Chitwan Rhinos claimed their second consecutive victory in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) with an all-round performance, highlighted by Ravi Bopara’s half-century and exceptional bowling from Sohail Tanvir and Rijan Dhakal.
In the second match of the day on Tuesday, Chitwan defeated Pokhara by a massive 87-run margin. Defending a target of 162 runs, Chitwan bowled Pokhara out for just 74 runs in 13.2 overs.
Tanvir, Rijan, and Luke Benkenstein each took three wickets, dismantling Pokhara’s batting lineup. Lower-order batter Narayan Joshi was the top scorer for Pokhara with 30 runs off 24 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. Matt Critchley contributed 17 runs, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to make an impact.
Tanvir bowled brilliantly, conceding just six runs and taking three wickets, including a maiden over in his three-over spell. Rijan matched his performance with figures of 3/10 in three overs, also delivering a maiden. Luke Benkenstein took 3/37 in four overs, while Dipak Bohora picked up one wicket.
Tanvir and Rijan’s sharp bowling reduced Pokhara to six wickets within the first four overs, leaving them reeling. Despite some resistance from Matt and Narayan, Pokhara could not bat through their innings.
Earlier, Chitwan set a challenging target of 161 runs for seven wickets after being sent to bat first. Ravi Bopara led the innings with a 50 off 38 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes. Captain Kushal Malla added a quickfire 38 off 23 balls, including one four and four sixes.
Luke Benkenstein scored 16 runs, while Hasan Isakhil contributed 14 runs. Sharad Vesawkar remained unbeaten on 11 runs to finish the innings.
Chitwan’s dominant performance with both bat and ball has solidified their position in the tournament as they continue their winning momentum.
