The 3rd game of the NPL, Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts, was the second game of the day at TU Ground Kirtipur.
Karnali Yaks studded with Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan lost against Janakpur Bolts in their first game by 8 wickets.
Sompal Kami won the toss and elected to bat first in the day match at TU conditions with faith in their reliable and strong top order, including Shikhar Dhawan.
Indian cricketer Dhawan and Nepal’s young cricketer Dev Khanal opened for the Yaks, but the decision was overturned for Kami as the Yaks lost their opener batter Dev Khanal in just the second over.
Khanal departs for just a single run after getting bowled by Lalit Rajbanshi, and Dhawan is joined by Chadwick Walton in the middle.
Shikhar Dhawan also returned to the pavilion early in the 5th over, adding only 14 runs from his side to the scoreboard.
Dhawan was clean-bowled by Harsh Thaker in the 5th over, and Yaks were 31/2 at the end of the first power play overs.
The wicket kept on falling as Chadwick Walton and Zeeshan Maqsood were also dismissed in the 7th and 8th overs, respectively.
Gulshan Jha and Babar Hayat look settled, but Hayat’s strike rate of less than 50 was troubling the run rate and scoreboards for Karnali Yaks.
Hayat couldn’t find the rhythm and got dismissed for just 12 runs in 25 deliveries as Mohammad Mohsin got his second wicket.
Gulshan Jha played a constructive inning for the Yaks, adding 36 runs in 27 deliveries, but got dismissed by Kishore Mahato in the 16th over.
Karnali Yaks were only at 98/6 at the end of the 18th over, but Arjun Gharti’s fiery knock of 2 sixes and 2 boundaries in the penultimate over and Kami’s 21 runs in the final over boosted Yaks to 141 runs at the loss of 7 wickets, and Janakpur Bolts needed 142 to register their second win of the tournament.
Janakpur Bolts got a fiery start with two premium Nepali opener batters, Aasif Sheikh and Anil Sah.
The Bolts started with a fiery 16 runs in the first over of the second inning, bowled by Nandan Yadav.
The opening pair of Janakpur played Yaks brilliantly in the power play overs, adding 56 runs without losing a wicket.
Aasif Sheikh got caught by Dev Khanal, and Yaks finally got a break through in the 10th over of the inning.
Lahiru Milantha joined Anil Sah in the middle and played a fiery knock of 24 runs in just 13 deliveries for Bolts with skipper Anil Sah.
Skipper Anil Sah completed his first half-century of NPL 2024 in just 35 deliveries with a blasting six and played an unbeaten knock of 61 runs in 41 deliveries.
James Neesham’s quick 16 runs of just 8 deliveries assisted the Janakpur Bolts to chase the target of 142 runs in just 15.1 overs and win the match by 8 wickets.
Janakpur Bolts have also won the first match against Biratnagar Kings by 8 wickets and are now at the top of the points table of NPL with 2 wins in the first 2 matches.
A team studded with stars like Shikhar Dhawan, and Sompal Kami lost their first match brutally.
Karnali Yaks will now face Kathmandu Gurkhas on 4th December, while both teams will be aiming for their first win of the tournament.
Janakpur Bolts will now face Pokhara Avengers on 5 December at TU Ground Kirtipur. What is your prediction for the match?
Are you ready for Karnali Yaks vs Kathmandu Gurkhas on 4th December? Comment below
Read more: Upcoming IPL Fixtures and Matches