Nepal-W end Asia Cup Rising Stars campaign winless

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 18: The Nepali women’s cricket team will return home from Thailand without a victory after competing in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars in Bangkok.

Placed in Group A alongside India A, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan A, Nepal finished bottom of the table following defeats against all three opponents.

On Tuesday, in their final outing at the Terdthai Cricket Ground, Nepal succumbed to India A by seven wickets.

Invited to bat first, Nepal were dismissed for just 78 runs in 18 overs. Opener Samjhana Khadka top-scored with 22, while Bindu Rawal added 11, captain Puja Mahato chipped in with 10, Rubi Poddar made 12, and Kabita Joshi remained unbeaten on 12.

India’s Tanuja Kanwar tore through Nepal’s top order with a four-wicket haul, while Minnu Mani delivered a miserly spell of 3–8 and Radha Yadav claimed two wickets from the tail.

In reply, India A reached the target in just 7.5 overs, finishing on 82–3. Opener Dinesh Vrinda struck nine boundaries in her unbeaten 39 off 18 balls, guiding her side home despite the early loss of partners Deeya Yadav (2) and Anushka Sharma (10). Vrinda shared a 54-run stand with Tejal Hasabnis, who contributed 18 from 13 balls.

For Nepal, Manisha Upadhayay, Anu Kadayat, and Sita Rana Magar picked up one wicket apiece.

The second win sent India A to top of the table with four points. Pakistan A and the UAE also have four points but lagged in net run rate to occupy at second and third place respectively. 

Pakistan defeated the UAE by nine wickets on Tuesday to climb to the second place. India and Pakistan stormed to the semi-final from Group A. 

Earlier in the tournament, Nepal lost their opening match to Pakistan A by 30 runs on 13 February, before going down to the UAE Women by 18 runs on 15 February.

Across the three matches, Samjhana Khadka emerged as Nepal’s leading scorer with 86 runs from 60 balls, including a half-century of 58 against the UAE. Captain Puja Mahato followed with 74 runs off 65 balls, highlighted by her 53 against the UAE, while Bindu Rawal contributed 66 runs from 84 deliveries.

In the bowling department, Manisha Upadhayay led with four wickets for 60 runs from 11 overs. Kabita Kunwar claimed three wickets for 34 runs in seven overs, and Sita Rana Magar took two wickets but proved expensive, conceding 85 runs in 7.5 overs.