Sports
Mehra stars in Challengers’ second win
Indian recruit Puneet Mehra put an alllround show as Rupandehi Challengers lived up to their star billings for a second consecutive victory in the Dhangadhi Premier League defeating Biratnagar Kings by five wickets on Tuesday.Binod Pandey
Indian recruit Puneet Mehra put an alllround show as Rupandehi Challengers lived up to their star billings for a second consecutive victory in the Dhangadhi Premier League defeating Biratnagar Kings by five wickets on Tuesday.
On a day when Bhim Sharki lit up the Fapla Cricket Grounds with a spectacular diving catch, Mehra picked up three wickets to restrict Kings to 93-9 in 20 overs. The left hander then returned to make a quickfire 46 from 27 deliveries as Challengers raced to victory in just 13.2 overs.
The second win in a row puts Challengers at the top of the six-team table with four points and in a pole position to make it through to the playoffs. Challengers skipper Basanta Regmi, however, refrained from talking about playoffs. “It would be too early to think about playoffs.
We want to win every game so that we don’t have to depend on other results,” said Regmi.
“Unless the league stage concludes, the chances are going to be tough for everyone. The pitch itself is difficult to deal with although it was better than that of yesterday (on Monday). The boys did very well today with bowling and fielding. We lost three wickets in the powerplays and that is where need to work on now,” added the veteran left arm spinner.
Challengers, who had to sweat hard while defending 111 runs against Mahendranagar United for a two-run win on Monday, appeared to end with the same fate on Tuesday after they were reduced to 19-3 in the fourth over. But Mehra started from where he had left off with the ball by rebuilding the innings with a 39-run crucial stand with Babar Hayat.
Hong Kong international Hayat hit a six and a four in his 23-ball 17 before losing his wicket to Samsad Sheikh. Kings did manage to get rid of dangerous Mehra but by then Challengers were just 13 runs away from victory. Sharki (12 not out) and Regmi (eight not out) took the team across the finishing line.
Mehra clobbered four sixes and two boundaries in his man-of-the-match performance. Avinash Yadav
took 2-15 from four overs for Kings.
Earlier, left arm seamer Lalit Singh Bhandari gave early breakthroughs removing openers Hari Shankar Sah (duck) and Aasif Sheikh (eight) with just 13 runs on the board. Asadullah Khan was in a process of resurrection until Sharki came up with his stunner. Khan slog swept Krishna Karki in the fifth over only to get a top edge to which initially looked safe but Sharki made a quick run from deep square leg and made a full length dive to take what arguably could be the best catch of Nepali cricket history.
Khan made 16 off 12 balls with two sixes. Rajesh Pulami Magar, batting at No 9, top scored for Kings with a 14-ball 17 hitting one six. Kushal Bhurtel (12) and Samsad Sheikh (10), who both fell to Mehra, were the only remaining batsmen to reach double digits. Patel, Karki shape Attariya’s stunning victory
Summaries
CYC Attariya 95-5 in 20 overs (S Patel 35*, J Kolsawala 21; R Mustafa 2-14, A Hayat 1-19) beat Dhangadhi Stars 90-9 in 20 overs (R Rijal 26*, R Mustafa 18; B Karki 4-10,
S Patel 2-17) by five runs
Man-of-the-match: S Patel
...........
Rupandehi Challengers 95-5 in 13.1 overs (P Mehra 46, B Hayat 17; A Yadav 2-16, S Sheikh 1-17) beat Biratnagar Kings 93-9 in 20 overs (RP Magar 17, MA Khan 16; P Mehra 3-20, B Regmi 2-14, LS Bhandari 2-15)
by five wickets
Man-of-the-match: P Mehra