ITAHARI: Biratnagar defeated Dhangadhi by two runs in the final of the second U-19 National Itahari Premier League Cricket Tournament here on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Biratnagar were bowled out for 112 runs in 20 overs. In reply, Biratnagar packed Dhangadhi for 110 runs. Biratnagar posted the fighting total riding on Minash Thapa’s 24 runs.

Mukesh Yadav contributed 18 runs and Amit Yadav added 10 runs. Dhangadhi’s Sagar Bhandari took three wickets and Narayan Joshi claimed two. Later, Dhangadhi fell three runs short. Naryan Joshi top scored with 27 runs, while Ajay Bista scored 20 and Lokesh Bam added 17 runs.

Man-of-the-match Mukund Yadav claimed three wickets for Biratnagar, while Dipesh Kandel and Minash Thapa took two wickets each. Biratnagar received Rs 100,000 and Dhangadhi earned Rs 50,000.

Biratnagar’s Minash Thapa was named the best player of the tournament, while Kathmandu’s Arun Airee and Itahari’s Manish Dahal got the best batsman and bowler awards respectively. A total of six teams competed in the event organised by Itahari Cricket Academy.