PM Cup: APF clinch win, Gandaki survive super over, Bagmati dominate

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 25: Captain Rohit Paudel regained his batting form as APF Club defeated Lumbini Province by seven wickets. Gandaki Province edged past Madhesh Province in a thrilling super over, while Bagmati registered a nine-wicket win over Karnali in the PM Cup Men's One Day National Cricket tournament on Monday.

Three-time PM Cup champions APF chased down the 224-run target set by Lumbini in 41.5 overs, losing three wickets at Extra Tech Oval, Bhairahawa. A vital 120-run third-wicket stand between skipper Paudel and Puran BK anchored APF's sixth victory.

APF lost openers Lokesh Bam (21) and Aasif Sheikh (18) early, with the scoreboard reading 50/2 in 4.6 overs. Paudel and Puran steadied the innings to keep the chase on track. Paudel hit seven boundaries, scoring 71 runs off 94 balls, his first big knock of the tournament after struggling in the previous seven matches. His highest score had been 22 against Karnali at Siddharthanagar.

Puran remained unbeaten on 72 runs off 112 balls, hitting six fours and a six. Sundeep Jora supported him with a run-a-ball 21 not out. Lumbini's Rajendra Bam picked three wickets.

Earlier, Lumbini’s innings was powered by half-centuries from opener Mrinal Gurung (55 off 87 balls) and captain Dev Khanal (63 off 79 balls). Middle-order contributions came from Aakash Tripathi (22) and Prajjwol Thapa (20). APF bowlers Amar Routela and Avishek Gautam bagged three wickets each.

With this win, APF has 12 points from eight matches. Nepal Police Club leads the table with 14 points from seven consecutive wins, while Tribhuvan Army Club, also on 14 points with seven wins and one loss, sits in second place. The final group stage matches for Tribhuvan Army and APF will decide their spots in the final. Lumbini, with four wins and five losses from nine matches, is now sixth on the table and out of contention.

At Siddharthanagar, Gandaki overcame Madhesh in the super over after their match ended in a tie. Batting first, Madhesh posted 246/7 in 50 overs, with half-centuries from Rohan BK (64 off 98 balls), Harishankar Shah (51 off 102 balls), and Rupesh Singh (51 not out off 32 balls).

In reply, Gandaki, led by opener Arjun Kumal’s century knock of 101 off 140 balls (10 fours, 1 six), tied the game, scoring 246 all out in 49.5 overs. Contributions came from Dinesh Budhanagar (34), Sudip Aryal (34 not out), and Bipin Khatri (26). Madhesh bowler Bishal Patel claimed four wickets.

In the super over, Gandaki posted 22 runs, courtesy of Amrit Gurung (13 off 5 balls) and Sudip Aryal (6 off 2 balls). Madhesh managed only nine runs in reply, with Pawan Sarraf scoring three and Rupesh Singh adding six. Both teams are out of the final race. Gandaki ended their campaign with two wins from nine matches, while Madhesh, with two games left, has two wins and five losses.

At Deukhuri Cricket Stadium, Bagmati bowled out Karnali for just 58 runs in 19.1 overs. Bagmati chased the target in 6.3 overs, finishing with 62/1. Opener Ishan Pandey top-scored with 22 off 11 balls, while Ashutosh Ghiraiya (19) and Shubh Kansakar (16) ensured a comfortable win.

Earlier, Bagmati bowlers Rijan Dhakal and Surya Tamang dismantled Karnali’s batting line-up. Dhakal took a fifer, conceding 19 runs, while Tamang claimed four wickets for 17 runs. Opener Sunil Dhamala was the only Karnali batter to reach double figures. Bagmati now sits at fifth place with eight points, followed by Karnali, also on eight points, with one match remaining for both teams.