Sudurpaschim Royals defeated Pokhara Avengers by 18 runs in the Nepal Premier League on Friday after a dominant start with the bat and a controlled finish with the ball at Kirtipur.
It is the second straight win for Sudurpaschim. Earlier on Wednesday, they defeated Kathmandu Gorkhas by 29 runs.
Sent in to bat first after losing the toss, Sudurpaschim made 193 for 7. Josh Brown and Binod Bhandari built a rapid opening stand of 108 runs, reaching 50 runs in 4.2 overs.
The pair carried the innings to 99 runs without loss at the 10-over drinks break. Brown struck 68 runs off 35 with six fours and five sixes, while Bhandari played the anchoring role with 43 off 42. Their century partnership came off 61 balls.
Chris Lynn lifted the scoring rate further with 31 off 13, taking the total to 142 in the 12th over. Pokhara pulled things back through James Neesham and Dan Douthwaite. Neesham removed Brown and later trapped Aarif Sheikh in LBW to finish with 3 for 47. Douthwaite dismissed Dipendra Singh Airee and Harmeet Singh to finish the spell with 2 for 24. Sudurpaschim crossed 150 in 14.3 overs but lost momentum in the final stretch, adding 43 in the last five overs to end on 193.
Pokhara’s chase began poorly. They were 25 for 3 in the powerplay after Harmeet Singh dismissed Dinesh Kharel and Kiran Thagunna, while Adam Rossington fell to a run-out. Bhurtel and Neesham recovered the innings, putting on a quick partnership to take the side to 70 for 3 at the halfway point. Bhurtel reached his fifty off 31 balls and hit four fours and four sixes before falling for 53 runs. Neesham kept the chase alive with 47 off 25, striking five sixes.
Once Neesham departed in the 12th over, Pokhara struggled to keep pace. The lower order chipped in, and Douthwaite produced a late surge with 37 off 16, including five sixes, taking the score to 174 before he fell in the final over.
Harmeet was the most effective bowler for Sudurpaschim with 2 for 22, while Scot Kuggeleijn, Airee, Abinash Bohara and Hemant Dhami took a wicket each.
Pokhara finished on 175 for 8, leaving Sudurpaschim with a comfortable win after controlling most phases of the match.
