Kathmandu, December 12
Janakpur Bolts have secured their place in the playoffs of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), becoming the first team to do so. On Thursday, they defeated Kathmandu Gurkhas by 5 wickets, registering their fifth victory of the tournament even before playing their final league match.
With 5 wins from 6 matches, Janakpur currently leads the table with 10 points.
In the match held at TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Janakpur chased down a target of 102 runs set by Kathmandu in just 15.5 overs, losing 5 wickets along the way.
Jimmy Neesham was the top scorer for Janakpur, contributing 27 runs off 17 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes. Harsh Thaker remained unbeaten with 25 runs off 25 balls, hitting 1 four and 1 six. Lahiru Milantha scored 16, captain Anil Sah added 11, and Mohammad Mohsin remained not out with 13 runs.
For Kathmandu, Karan KC took 2 wickets, while Shahab Alam, Gerhard Erasmus, and Dipesh Kandel claimed 1 wicket each.
Earlier, Kathmandu, opting to bat first after winning the toss, were bowled out for 101 runs in 19.3 overs due to sharp bowling by Janakpur. Lalit Rajbanshi was outstanding, taking 3 wickets for just 8 runs in 4 overs, including 2 maiden overs. Sher Malla also claimed 3 wickets for 11 runs in 3.3 overs. Mohammad Mohsin took 2 wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs, while Kishore Mahato and Arnik Yadav chipped in with 1 wicket each.
For Kathmandu, Gerhard Erasmus scored the highest with 20 runs, followed by Karan KC with 19 and Stephen Eskinazi with 17. The rest of the batting lineup failed to reach double digits.
Notably, Janakpur captain Anil Sah set a record by taking 5 catches in the match, the most by any player in a single game in Nepal’s franchise cricket league.
