Kathmandu, December 10

Lalitpur Patriots recorded their second straight victory, while Kathmandu Kings XI opened the Everest Premier League campaign with an easy win here at the TU Stadium today.

Patriots, who could score just 104 runs in the opening match against Biratnagar Warriors, chased down 167-run target to beat Pokhara Rhinos by eight wickets with 25 balls to spare. The Rhinos were unlucky for the second day in a row as they lost their opening match against Bhairahawa Gladiators despite posting 215-5 yesterday.

While Ravi Inder Singh played a whirlwind knock to down Rhinos yesterday, fellow Indian cricketers Jaykishan Kolsawala and Gaurav Tomar did the damage today. Chasing a modest target, openers Kolsawala and Tomar put on 129 runs on the board in 12.3 overs to set the tone for the Patriots. Kolsawala departed for 51 off just 38 runs that included four boundaries and three sixes, caught by Shakti Gauchan off Susan Bhari.

Man-of-the-match Tomar was the next two go, caught by Gauchan off Paul Coughlin, but not before smashing four boundaries and eight sixes in his fiery knock of 41-ball 82. After that, another Indian player Sunny Patel combined with Sonu Tamang to take the team home without further loss. They added 25 runs in 11 balls for the unbroken third wicket. Patel remained unbeaten on eight-ball 20 with the help of one four and two sixes, while Tamang struck a six in his 11 not out.

Earlier, Rhinos posted 166-4 riding on brilliant half century from Richard Levi and some fine hitting by Binod Bhandari. South African Levi clobbered three fours and nine sixes in his 39-ball 84. He and skipper Kyle Coetzer shared a 97-run opening partnership in 10 overs but they just failed to capitalise on the flying start. Coetzer fell for 31-ball 19, while Sunil Dhamala (10) and Coughlin (14) fell cheaply. Bhandari then struck three fours and a six in his unbeaten 34 off 23 balls but that was just not enough for them. Pawan Sarraf took three wickets for Patriots.

In another match, Kings beat Chitwan Tigers by six wickets to hand them their second straight loss. Batting first, Tigers were bowled out for 160 runs in 19.5 overs before Kings raced to 164-4 in 18.5 overs.

Man-of-the-match Subramanian Anand top scored for Kings with an unbeaten 43 off just 18 balls with the help of one four and four sixes, while Sagar Pun scored 34-ball 29 hitting six fours. Naresh Budhayer (22), Amar Singh Routela (21) and Amit Shrestha (18) also chipped in valuable runs.

Shahab Alam took two wickets for Tigers.

Earlier, Tigers were nicely placed at 109-4 in 12 overs but they faltered in latter part. They lost last six wickets for a paltry 18 runs. Dipendra Singh Airee top scored with 40-ball 45 that included five boundaries, while opener Paul Stirling clobbered three each fours and sixes. Sandeep Sunar hit five fours in his 19-ball 25, while skipper Prithu Baskota scored run-a-ball 20 and George Scott contributed 15 off 19 balls.

Samshad Sheikh and Pardeep Sahu shared six wickets between them for Kings, while Sagar Pun, Kevin O’Brien and Amar Singh Routela claimed one wicket each.

After third day’s matches, the Patriots are at the top of the six-team table with four points, while Kings, Gladiators and Warriors have two each. Tigers and Rhinos are yet to open their accounts.