Baluwatar Cricket Club held firm to beat Kathmandu Cricket Training Centre (KCTC) by eight runs to win the Khukuri Challenger Twenty20 cricket tournament title on Saturday.

In the final match at the TU grounds, Baluwatar’s four of the top five batsmen contributed leading the team to 151-9 in 20 overs. Baluwatar tightened the screws from the start of their defence and managed to stop KCTC to 143-6. The champions got Rs 300,000 and runners-up pocketed Rs 100,000.

Baluwatar had a slow start after their opener Suman Uday (nine off 20) didn’t go after the bowlers during the powerplays. Another opener Pranit Thapa Magar made a 28-ball 27 with three boundaries and a six. No 3 batsman Prithu Baskota scored a 25 from 23 balls with three boundaries but it was Sonu Tamang and Amar Singh Routela who lifted the team to a winning total.

Routela top scored for their side with an 18-ball 33 hitting three fours and two sixes. Tamang played a cameo of nine-ball 23 hitting two sixes and as many boundaries. Shaisav KC (10) was the next batsman to reach double figures. Sumit Jha (3-29) and Sanjay Basnet (2-29) shared five wickets between them for KCTC.

Sudhir Chaudhary (12) was the first to go for KCTC before 39-run partnership for the second wicket between another opener Adil Khan and Sumit Maharjan (19) consolidated the innings. Khan top scored with a run-a-ball 32 with a six and a four. Durgesh Thapa and Bibek Rana Magar (17) tried to put KCTC in the hunt but both headed back to the pavilion with the team left with a mountain to climb.

Thapa made 21 from 17 with two boundaries. Man-of-the-match Avinash Bashyal took three wickets for the winning side. Khsitiz Singh of Baluwatar was adjudged the man-of-the-series and he got Rs 20,000. Rabindra Jung Shahi (batsman) of Tikapur Cricket Club, Avinash Bohora (bowler) of Tribhuvan Army Club and Sagar Dhakal (emerging player) of Great Himalayan Cricket Academy were other indiviudal winners. They got Rs 10,000 each.

A total of 20 teams had participated in the country’s longest league-cum-knockout tournament organised by Khukuri Ent.

Summary

Baluwatar 151-9 in 20 overs (AS Routela 33, P Baskota 25, S Tamang 23; S Jha 3-29, S Basnet 2-29) beat KCTC 143-6 in 20 overs (A Khan 32, D Thapa 21, S Maharjan 19; A Bashyal 3-26)

by eight runs

Man-of-the-match: A Bashyal

Man-of-the-series: Kshitiz Singh

Best Batsman: Rabindra Jung Shahi

Best Bowler: Avinash Bohora

Emerging Player: Sagar Dhakal