Kathmandu Gorkhas Secures Playoff Berth With 13-run Win Over Pokhara Avengers

The Gorkhas of Kathmandu have the playoff spot by defeating Pokhara Avengers decisively in the very first final league match of the day. Their superb performance has not only consolidated their standing in the tournament but also kept their aspiration for the title alive.

In the match, the Pokhara Avengers found themselves in a very difficult situation, losing by 13 runs in an important NPL match. In their attempt to chase down 166 runs, the Avengers could not keep up with the required run rate and were eventually all out for 152 in the full 20 overs. This loss puts Pokhara in a difficult position where they have to win in the remaining matches if they want to reach the playoffs.

Pokhara Avengers were bowled out for 152 in 20 overs: 

The Kathmandu Gorkhas have secured their place in the playoffs after winning against the Pokhara Avengers by 13 runs, which was the first match of the final league today. The Gorkhas played first and made 165 runs, losing eight wickets, the main contributors being Ben Charlesworth, who played a careful inning of 64 off 55 deliveries, and Bhim Sharki, who annihilated the bowling attack with 55 runs off just 23 balls.

The bowlers of Pokhara, led by Kushal Bhurtel and Dhananjaya Lakshan with two wickets each, helped to prevent the Gorkhas from piling up more runs and at the same time curbed the scoring due to the aggressive batting.

Pokhara’s attempt was not lacking in effort but it ended up being only a short distance, as they were bowled out for 152 thus giving the Gorkhas a victory of 13 runs. Rishi Dhawan’s 54 off 31 laid the foundation strong enough and was followed by Dhananjaya Lakshan’s 30 off 27, but the others could not get the batting lineup to gain and keep the momentum.

Gorkhas’ bowling attack was led by Shahab Alam, who took six wickets for only 25 runs in his four overs, claiming a match-winning performance. Karan KC and Sunny Patel took two wickets each and they also contributed to the victory. Among the other batsmen of Pokhara, only Kushal Bhurtel (22) and Jason Roy (16) could enter the double-figure scores.