Army dominate Madhesh, Sudur Paschim survive Gandaki scare

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 3: Tribhuwan Army Club maintained their winning run to go one point clear at the top of the league table, while Sudur Paschim Province climbed to second place in the Men’s Prime Minister (PM) Cup on Thursday.

Army produced a commanding performance to defeat Madhesh Province by six wickets in Janakpur. Sudur Paschim, meanwhile, clinched a thrilling two-wicket win over Gandaki Province in Birgunj.

The fourth win took Army to the summit with nine points from five matches. Sudur Paschim also secured their fourth victory, trailing just behind with eight points from five games. Army had shared a point with APF in their third outing, while Sudur Paschim lost their second match against Madhesh.

Madhesh, on the other hand, suffered their first defeat of the tournament and slipped to fourth place with seven points from five matches. 

Nepal Police Club, also on seven points, sit third thanks to a superior net run rate. Gandaki endured their third defeat to remain ninth, just above bottom-placed Koshi Province, who are still winless.

At Ramjanaki Multipurpose Stadium, Army opted to field first and bowled out Madhesh for 184 in 48.3 overs. In reply, Army’s top order made light work of the chase, reaching 185 in 29.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.

Opener Trit Raj Das set the tone with a fluent 69 off 72 balls, striking seven boundaries and three sixes. He shared a brisk 67-run stand with skipper Binod Bhandari, who smashed 32 from 29 deliveries. Basir Ahamad capped his fine all-round display with an unbeaten 41, guiding his side home. Kushal Malla added 24 runs.

Mohammad Aadil Alam claimed two wickets, while Pawan Sarraf and Bishal Shusling picked up one apiece for Madhesh. 

Earlier, Anil Sah’s 42 and Shusling’s patient 51 were the only major contributors for Madhesh. 

In Army's bowling, Ahamad starred with 3 for 31, supported by Naren Saud and Shahab Alam with two wickets each. 

Malla’s tight spell of 1 for 14 from seven overs and Pawan Karki’s 1 for 15 from three overs further restricted the scoring.

At Narayani Cricket Ground, Sudur Paschim successfully chased 191 in 39.2 overs. Gandaki, after electing to bat, struggled to build momentum and were dismissed for 190 in 49 overs.

Sudur Paschim endured early jitters at 24 for 3, but opener Abhishek Pal steadied the chase with a patient 66 off 93 balls, striking six boundaries and two sixes. His 68-run stand with Dipak Bohora (35) revived hopes before Gandaki captain Bipin Khatri struck back with a five-wicket haul. At 146 for 7, the match was delicately poised.

Narayan Joshi’s unbeaten 45 proved decisive, guiding Sudur Paschim home alongside Sher Malla, who contributed a crucial two not out. Khatri finished with 5 for 36, while Krishna Poudel, Subash Bhandari and Bishow Karki took one wicket each.

Earlier, Arjun Kumal top-scored with 44, while Khatri added a fighting 30. Contributions from Deepak Dumre (22), Bhandari (24), Poudel (15), opener Gaurav BK (14) and Cibrin Shrestha (13) lifted Gandaki to 190. But their innings was undone by Sudur Paschim’s disciplined attack, with skipper Malla claiming 5 for 42 and Ashok Dhami adding two wickets.