Sharad Vesawkar-led Pokhara Paltan crushed Sandeep Lamichhane’s Biratnagar Titans by 58 runs on the back of power-packed performance from hard-hitter Binod Bhandari in the Pokhara Premier League Twenty20 tournament on Friday.

Electing to bat first at the picturesque Pokhara Stadium with a scenic Mt Machhapuchhre at the backdrop, Paltan hammered a toothless bowling attack for 197-3 with only Titans skipper Sandeep Lamichhane managing to contain the batsmen.

Under pressure to score fluently, Titans kept losing wickets at regular intervals and hardly found ways to catch up with run-rate before getting restricted to 139-8 in 20 overs.

Titans’ top three batsmen Pradeep Airee (10), Sunil Dhamala (11) and Jitendra Singh Thakuri (10) failed to give Titans a desired start before Raju Rijal and Indian cricketer Andrew Subikshan (14) kept the team in the game. The two batsmen added 41 runs for the fourth wicket before losing their wickets in the space of three runs as Paltan marched to victory.

Rijal top scored with a 27-ball 30 with two sixes and as many boundaries. From 88-6, Pushpa Thapa and skipper Lamichhane (14 not out) shared 41 runs but the stand only served in saving Titans blushes. Thapa also made 30 from 26 balls with three fours and a six. Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi was pick of the Paltan bowlers taking 3-17 from four overs.

Earlier in the day, Sharad Vesawkar gambled to send middle order batsman Kushal Bhurtel to open the innings and the move paid off. Bhurtel struck the ball neatly and gave Paltan a half century stand for the first wicket with Aasif Sheikh in the powerplays.

Bhurtel struck a 26-ball 38 with five fours and two sixes before losing his wicket to Lamichhane in an attempt to hit the bowler for a six. In came Paltan’s Indian recruit Ravi Inder Singh and the No 3 batsman laid the foundation for a big total, putting on 94 runs for the second wicket with Sheikh. Singh slammed four sixes and two boundaries in his 27-ball 44 and lost his wicket to Lamichhane.

Sheikh, who finally notched up his first half century in domestic franchise Twenty20 competition after three years, scored 52 off 54 with five fours and a six. After the departure of Sheikh, Bhandari lifted the Paltan innings perfectly with display of some brutal hitting. He clobbered five sixes and two boundaries in an 11-ball 41 not out that fetched him the man-of-the-match award.

With Bhandari firing on all cylinders, Paltan collected 49 runs from the last 18 balls. Fast bowler Dipesh Shrestha, who conceded 54 runs in his four wicketless overs, was hit for 24 runs in the last over alone. Lamichhane took 2-26 from his four-over spell. Shahab Alam took 1-37 from his four.

Summary

Pokhara Paltan 197-3 (A Sheikh 52, RI Singh 44, B Bhandari 41; S Lamichhane 2-26, S Alam 1-37) beat Biratnagar Titans 139-8 (R Rijal 30, P Thapa 30; LN Rajbanshi 3-17, BK Bhushal 1-26) by 58 runs Man-of-the-match: B Bhandari (Paltan)