Sports
Kings crash out after defeat
Paras Khadka-led Biratnagar Kings crashed out of the Dhangadhi Premier League (DPL) as CYC Attariya toppled the title favourites in a six-over thriller of another rain-affected day.Adarsha Dhakal
Paras Khadka-led Biratnagar Kings crashed out of the Dhangadhi Premier League (DPL) as CYC Attariya toppled the title favourites in a six-over thriller of another rain-affected day.
Due to the insistent morning rain, the first match of the day between Mahendranagar United and table-toppers Kathmandu Goldens was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Only six-over-a-side game was possible in the second match which had a 3:45pm start.
Electing to field first, a disciplined bowling effort from Vipin Chandra helped Attariya restrict Kings for 55-3 in six overs. Attariya recovered from early hiccups through man-of-the-match Chandra and stand-in skipper Dipendra Singh Airee to reach 56-4 in 5.4 overs.
The result saw Attariya finish fourth with five points to seal the playoff spot. In the Eliminator, they will face Mahendranagar United, who finished at the third spot on maximum winning percentage after being tied on six points with Team Chauraha Dhangadhi.
Chauraha have three victories, while United had two of their matches washed out and registered wins in two. Chauraha will play Gyanen-dra Malla’s Kathmandu Goldens, who finished league stage unbeaten with nine points from five matches.
Khadka admitted that his side fell short with the runs. “Matches like these are the ones where any team can have winning chances. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come up with our best,” said Khadka. “We were close in all three matches but couldn’t give good finishing.”
Against strong looking Kings batting order, Chandra tightened the screws in the third and fifth over conceding just 14 runs. Kamal Singh Airee, who took two wickets, bowled a tight fourth over leaking just six runs to put his side on edge. Dilip Nath provided a late lift for Kings collecting 13 runs from Airee’s last over.
He made a nine-ball 15. Opener Anil Sah made 12-ball 15 with two sixes, while Babar Hayat was dismissed for a seven-ball 14 with a six and a four.
Kings had a dream start in their defence when Ramnaresh Giri removed openers Gaurav Chitkara in the first ball and Kushal Bhurtel (four) in the fourth. Chandra and Dipendra then shared a match-winning 51 runs for the fourth wicket. Attariya needed 34 runs from the last three overs and things turned around in the fourth over from Giri.
Chandra hit Giri for two boundaries and a six from Dipendra saw them plunder 16 runs. Basanta Regmi then conceded 11 runs in the fifth over as Attariya needed seven runs from the last over.
Dipendra struck skipper Khadka for a six in the first ball to put his side on the brink of victory. Khadka did remove Dipendra and new man Sandeep Jora in consecutive deliveries but Aakash Thapa managed to steal a single for victory in the fourth ball.
Chandra made 26 from 13 balls with five boundaries and Dipendra chipped in with 20 off 15. Khadka and Giri took two wickets each for Attariya, who were playing without their injured skipper Subash Khakurel. The wicketkeeping batsman has injured his finger and might not be available for rest of the tournament.
Stand-in skipper Dipendra said the toss was crucial. “It was a short game and we wanted to bat the first which we did after winning the toss. The guys bowled really well,” said Dipendra.
Standings
Team M W L nr Pts NRR
Kathmandu 5 4 0 1 9 1.148
Dhangadi 5 3 2 0 6 -0.051
Mahendranagar 5 2 1 2 6 0.461
Attariya 5 2 2 1 5 1.283
Biratnagar 5 2 3 0 4 0.204
Rupandehi 5 0 5 0 0 -2.648
Summary
CYC Attariya 56-4 in 6 overs (V Chandra 26*, DS Airee 20; P Khadka 2-14, R Giri 2-23) beat Biratnagar Kings 55-3 in 6 overs (D Nath 15*, AK Sah 15; K Airee 2-18, S Urao 1-9) by six wickets in rain-reduced match
Man-of-the-match: V Chandra