APF lifts PM Women’s Cup for seventh time in 10th edition

Kathmandu, Jan. 26: Host of the 10th PM Cup Women’s National Cricket Tournament, Sudurpashchim Province, made a dramatic entry into the final to face six-time champions Armed Police Force (APF) Club for the trophy. However, the host failed and the APF lifted the trophy for a record seven times at the Dhangadhi-based Fapla Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Furthermore, APF won the tournament without losing a single game. Of the four group-stage games, APF won three while one was cancelled due to bad weather. APF won both games in the Super 4 to reach the final and win it once again.

APF, the runners-up of the first edition in 2015, won the tournament for the first time in the second edition in 2016. The departmental team then lifted the PM Women’s Cup in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023-24 while failed in 2020 and 2023.

It was Sudurpashchim’s chance to lift the PM Cup for the second time as the province had won it in 2023. But as they had lost to APF by a massive gap in the group stage of the 10th edition, Sudurpashchim was not the favourites this time; they had already lost to APF in the group-stage. 

There were eight national team players in the final when APF faced Sudurpashchim. Compared to Nepal’s 15-member squad for the Women’s Asia Cup in 2024, six of them were playing for APF: skipper Indu Barma, Kabia Joshi, Sabnam Rai, Rajmati Airee, Mamta Chaudhary and Roma Thapa. 

Similarly, Bindu Rawal and Kabita Knuwar, two senior national team players, were playing for Sudurpashchim. 

It was also thanks to more experience in the team that the APF defeated Sudurpashchim with much ease. 

Sudurpashchim decided to bat first after winning the toss but got wrapped up at 67 runs in 18.1 overs. Skipper Rawal and Manisha Bohara were the only players to score decently as Sudurpashchim posted a paltry target. Opener Rawal departed at 17 off 24 while in-at-five Manisha stayed not out at 18 off 23.

Kabita Joshi bagged three wickets while Indu Barma and Sabnam Rai took two each; Karuna Bhandari also claimed one for APF.

As the target was low, APF did not have a hard time. They lost an early wicket as opener Rajmati Airee got run-out at 6.5 overs for 4 off 14. She was supporting her opening partner Mamta Chaudhary, who was scoring, and took the team to 25 runs before departure. 

Chaudhary went on to score 43 off 43 and chase the target successfully in 12.5 overs with skipper Barma (18 off 20) and win the final by nine wickets.

Joshi was the Player of the Match for her three wickets in four overs by giving 18 runs. Joshi was also at the top of the list of players with both the best batting strike rate and bowling economy in the tournament. She topped the batting strike rate with 138.23 and was second in the list of best bowling economy with 3.11. The best bowling economy was topped by Sabnam, who can ball both medium pace and spin, with 2.94.

“It was a great tournament overall in Dhangadhi. We are trying our best to promote women’s cricket and this tournament is a part of it. We look forward to taking women’s national team to the World Cup,” said Roshan Kumar Singh, vice-president of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

Likewise, CAN’s president Chatur Bahadur Chand expressed that the tournament would be the foundation over which a national squad would be selected to face the Netherlands and Thailand as Nepal host the two nations for a series under a triple round-robin format from January end. 

“Women’s cricket has been making us proud and we want it to continue. We are doing all we can and Nepalis have started supporting women’s cricket in great numbers as well. Also, congratulations to the APF for winning the tournament again,” said Chand.