Bara, May 15

Kalaiya Cricket Club advanced to the final of the Jagshakti Sansad Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament here at the Sideshwar grounds today.

In the eliminator play-off, Kalaiya thrashed Birat Cricket Society of Biratnagar by eight wickets. Birat opted to bat first and were bowled out for 110 in 19.1 overs before Kalaiya raced to 113-2 in 15.1 overs. The hosts will take on Ranchi Cricket Club in the final on Monday. Ranchi had defeated Birat in their last league round match to book final berth as group champions on Saturday.

Mehboob Alam top scored for Birat with 46 off 29 balls that included three fours and as many sixes, while Puspa Thapa scored 27 off 30 balls with three fours and a six. Shadab Akhtar made 14 off 22 balls, while the remaining batsmen failed to reach double digit mark. Avinash Karn claimed three wickets for Kalaiya, while Binod Das took two. Basant Regmi and Sameer Nepal also grabbed a wicket apiece.

In reply, Kalaiya made a brilliant start as the opening duo Sunil Dhamala and Amit Shrestha added 55 runs. Shrestha made 17 off 28 balls, while man-of-the-match Dhamala scored 54 off 36 balls with seven fours. Aasif Sheikh remained unbeaten on 34 off 23 balls with four boundaries and a six. Puspa Thapa and Manoj Mandal claimed a wicket apiece for Birat.