Skipper Sompal Kami produced a late cameo to rescue Team Chauraha Dhangadi in their second match of the Dhangadi Premier League, while Gyanendra Malla’s Kathmandu Goldens crushed Rupandehi Challengers by 63 runs to stay at the top of the standings. 

In the first match at the SP grounds, defending champions Chauraha bounced back from their seven-wicket loss to Goldens on Saturday with a three-wicket victory over CYC Attariya. Chauraha were virtually out of the contest before Kami struck a 15-ball 39 not out, leading his side to 151-7 in 19.2 overs. 

Chauraha were pinning their hopes on their international recruit Rohan Mustafa as the United Arab Emirates skipper had just hit a six off Vipin Chandra to reach 40 runs. But Chandra had his revenge the next ball removing Mustafa with the scores reading 111-7 in 16.4 overs. 

The holders needed 38 runs to win from the last three overs and things turned around in the 18th over bowled by Kamal Singh Airee, who had taken four wickets a day earlier in Attariya’s nine-wicket crushing of Challengers. After a single and four byes in the first two deliveries, Kami smashed Kamal for two consecutive sixes and a boundary leaving 16 to win from the last 12 balls. 

The penultimate over from Chandra fetched Chauraha 14 runs before they collected two in the second ball of the final over. Kami shared 40 runs for the eighth wicket with Yogendra Singh Karki (six not out) in just 16 deliveries. Mustafa top scored for Chauraha with a 42-ball 40 that included three boundaries and a six. Shuvankar Urao and Dipendra Singh Airee took two wickets each for Attariya. 

Earlier, opener Prem Tamang and Chandra made 28 runs each for Attariya, while Kushal Bhurtel (25) was their next best scorer. Lalit Singh Bhandari (3-24) and Mustafa (2-35) shared five wickets between them for Chauraha. 

In the second game, Goldens posted a DPL-high 186-4 before taking a gloss out of whirlwind Pradeep Airee knock as Challengers were restricted for 123 in 18.4 overs. Airee did the bulk of scoring in his 71-run opening wicket stand with Sagar Pun. Airee clobbered five sixes and as many boundaries in his 41-ball 57 to keep Challengers in the chase. But once he lost his wicket to Shahab Alam, Challengers were out from the hunt. 

Pun (18) and Dipak Prasad (10) were the only other Challengers batsmen to make runs in double figures. Seamer Rashid Khan picked up 6-4 from 2.4 overs, while Lalit Rajbanshi (3-19) and Alam (2-42) took five wickets between them. 

Goldens got off to a flying start after Indian allrounder Subodh Bhati hammered 42 from 25 balls with four sixes and three boundaries in his 65-run first wicket partnership with Amit Shrestha in 7.4 overs. Shrestha made 30 off 27 with two sixes and a four. Malla (20) and Bhupendra Thapa (14) couldn’t do much as Goldens were reduced to 109-4 in 14.1 overs. 

Man-of-the-match Sunny Patel and Naresh Budhayer then provided a match-winning show adding 77 runs from the last 35 balls. Patel, who took 1-8 from four overs, struck a 19-ball 48 with five boundaries and three sixes. Budhayer made 30 off 18 with two sixes and as many fours. Amar Singh Routela, Bikram Bhushal and Sufyan Mehmood took a wicket each for Goldens.

Summaries

Chauraha 151-7 in 19.2 overs (R Mustafa 40, S Kami 39*; S Urao 2-12, D Airee 2-20) beat CYC Attariya 150-8 in 20 overs (P Tamang 28, V Chandra 28*; L Bhandari 3-24, R Mustafa 2-35) by three wickets

Man-of-the-match: S Kami (Chauraha)  

Kathmandu Goldens 186-4 in 20 overs (S Patel 48*, S Bhati 42; B Bhusal 1-26, A Routela 1-37) beat Rupandehi Challengers 123 in 18.4 overs (P Airee 57, S Pun 18; R Khan 4-6, L Rajbanshi 3-19) by 63 runs

Man-of-the-match: S Patel (Goldens)