Machhapuchhre Lions defended a low total to replace Downtown Pokhara Lions from the top of the Machhapuchhre Cricket League Twenty20 in Pokhara on Saturday. 

Hosts Machhapuchhre were restricted to 84-7 in 20 overs but their bowlers made fine comeback skittling out Parbat Titans for just 40 runs in 15.3 overs for a huge 44-run victory. Machhapuchhre are tied on six points with Lions and Informatics College Cheetahs but they lead the table on net run rate. 

Lions, in their fourth match, lost to VM Warriors Baglung by five wickets. Warriors went on to resiter their first victory in their second game. Lions and Cheetahs have played three games each. 

A collective bowling effort helped Titans restrict Machhapuchhre to a low total but four wickets from Sashi Dubey tore the former apart. Skipper Dipesh Khatri and Abhishek Thakuri also picked up two wickets each. 

Man-of-the-match Khatri had saved Machhapuchhre blushes hitting two sixes in a 26-ball 25, while Raju Khanal was their next best scorer with 23 from 40 with a four. 

Lions lost their wickets from the beginning before they were all out for 82 in 18.1 overs. Biru Gurung put an extra ordinary bowling effort in defense of a low total picking up 4-12 from four overs but couldn’t stop Warriors from reaching 85-5 in 18.3 overs. 

Man-of-the-match Bijay BK defied Lions forging an unbroken 54-wicket partnership for the sixth wicket with Anup Shrestha (13 not out). BK struck three fours and two sixes in his 29-ball 34 not out.