Police beat APF, Bagmati secure first win at PM Cup

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 15: Spinner Lalitnarayan Rajbanshi took six wickets as Nepal Police Club edged past APF Club with a two-wicket victory in the Prime Minister's (PM) Cup National Cricket tournament on Friday. Bagmati Province also recorded their first win of the tournament, defeating Sudurpaschim Province by 55 runs.

At Deukhuri Cricket Stadium in Lamahi, APF’s decision to bat first backfired as they were bowled out for just 94 runs in 27.4 overs. Despite the low target, Police Club struggled in their chase, losing eight wickets before securing the win in 26.2 overs.

Kushal Bhurtel was the top scorer for Police with 31 runs, while Gulshan Jha (12 not out) guided the team to victory. Opener Arjun Saud (11) and Rashid Khan (10) were the only other double-digit contributors. 

APF’s Bhuvan Karki led their bowling attack with figures of 3-33, while Abhishek Gautam and Rohit Paudel took two wickets each.

Earlier, Lalit Rajbanshi’s brilliant spell of 6-18 in 7.4 overs dismantled the three-time champions APF. Sagar Dhakal, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, and Kushal Bhurtel chipped in with one wicket each. For APF, Sundeep Jora top-scored with 26 runs, supported by Lokesh Bam (22), Aasif Sheikh (10), and Amar Routela (10).

Police Club extended their winning streak to three matches, while APF suffered their first loss of the tournament. Tribhuvan Army and Police sit at the top of the PM Cup table with six points each, while APF is in fourth place with four points.

At Extra Tech Oval in Bhairahawa, Bagmati Province opted to bat first and posted a challenging 266 runs, losing eight wickets in 50 overs. In reply, Sudurpaschim Province were bowled out for 211 runs in 47 overs.

Opener Tek Rawat led Sudurpaschim’s scoring with a patient 45 off 88 balls. Captain Narayan Joshi added a quickfire 39 off 25 balls, including two sixes and three fours. Extras contributed a significant 36 runs. 

Kiran Thaguna (21), Nischal Kshetri (14), and Sher Malla (14 not out) also helped push the team past the 200-run mark. Rijan Dhakal and Sonu Devkota claimed four wickets each to secure Bagmati’s victory.

Bagmati’s innings were powered by half-centuries from Ashutosh Ghiraiya and Shubh Kansakar. Opener Ashutosh scored 58 off 101 balls, while Shubh smashed five boundaries and four sixes in his 77 off 68 balls. 

Other notable contributions came from Ishan Pandey (36), Captain Prithu Baskota (15), Pratis GC (15), Suman Sunar (12 not out), and Bibek Magar (10). For Sudurpaschim, Hemant Dhami, Sher Malla, and Saurya Shrestha each took two wickets.