Koshi bag first victory

By A Staff Reporter 

Kathmandu, Mar. 17: Koshi Province achieved their biggest win by wickets, while APF Club and Lumbini Province claimed their third victories in the Men's PM Cup 2025 National Cricket Tournament on Sunday.

Bipin Mahato delivered a career-best bowling performance, taking 6-17, as Koshi secured their first win of the tournament after four consecutive defeats. 

Bipin's outstanding effort bowled Gandaki out for 31 runs in 20.4 overs, the lowest total in the history of the PM Cup. Gandaki's decision to bat first at Extra Tech Oval, Bhairahawa, backfired spectacularly. The previous lowest score in the tournament's history was 41 runs by APF Club against Nepal Police Club in 2019.

Opener Arjun Kumal (9) was Gandaki's top scorer, while four batters were dismissed without scoring. Sujan Gautam remained not out with six runs off 47 balls. For Koshi, Firdosh Ansari claimed three wickets, and Dipesh Kandel took one.

Koshi chased down the 32-run target in 8.2 overs, losing just one wicket. Shakib Haq scored an unbeaten 16 runs, while Sonu Ansari added an unbeaten four. Opener Chirag Sah contributed 10 runs.

At Siddharthanagar, APF defeated Karnali Province by five wickets to secure third place with six points. Batting first, Karnali posted 189 runs, losing all their wickets in 47 overs. APF successfully chased the target, scoring 193 runs in 39.2 overs with five wickets in hand.

Dipak Bohara's brilliant unbeaten 70 off 67 balls, including four sixes and eight boundaries, led APF to victory. Sumit Maharjan contributed an unbeaten 34 runs off 53 balls. Other contributions came from Lokesh Bam (22), Aasif Sheikh (25), and Captain Rohit Paudel (22). For Karnali, Dipendra Rawat and Diwan Pun took two wickets each.

Karnali's batting effort was led by opener Sunil Dhamala, who scored 47 runs off 75 balls. Middle-order contributions included Prakas Jaishi (20) and Arjun Gharti (10), while lower-order batters Dinesh Adhikari (33), Dipendra Rawat (not out 30), and Diwan Pun (12) added crucial runs. Avishek Gautam was the standout bowler for APF, taking four wickets, while Kamal Airee dismissed two batters. Kishore Mahato, Rohit, Bhuvan Karki, and Dipak Bohara picked up one wicket each.

Meanwhile, Lumbini secured a 48-run victory over Bagmati Province at Lamahi. Lumbini is currently in fourth place with six points, behind APF on net run rate. Opting to bat first, Lumbini were dismissed for a modest 115 runs in 32.4 overs. Bagmati failed to capitalise on the low target and were bowled out for 67 runs, marking another low total of the day.

For Bagmati, Ashutosh Ghiraiya (11), Captain Prithu Baskota (15), and Suman Sunar (11) were the major scorers. In Lumbini's win, Ajay Chauhan and Biprason KC each claimed three wickets, while Nirmal Gurung and Ramesh Kurmi picked up two apiece.

Earlier, Aakash Tripathi top-scored for Lumbini with 33 runs, while Manish Thapa (15) and Dev Khanal (15) were the only other double-digit contributors. Bagmati's bowler Gautam KC impressed with a four-wicket haul.