KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 3
Rijan Dhakal and Sohail Tanvir orchestrated a six-wicket haul to propel Chitwan Rhinos to an emphatic 87-run victory over Pokhara Avengers in the ongoing Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League on Tuesday.
This win marks the Rhinos' second consecutive triumph in the tournament. Chasing a target of 162, the Avengers collapsed to 74 all out in just 13.2 overs.
Sohail Tanvir dismantled Pokhara Avengers' chase with a scintillating opening over, claiming three wickets, including a first-ball dismissal of Kushal Bhurtel, who was caught by Ravi Bopara at mid-off.
Tanvir struck again to remove Dilip Nath and Bas de Leede off the penultimate and final delivery of his opening spell, leaving the Avengers reeling at 3/4 by the end of the first over.
Rijan Dhakal joined the carnage, taking three wickets-Dinesh Kharel, Kiran Thagunna, and Michael Leask-for minimal contributions, reducing the Avengers to a dire 17/7 within seven overs.
The Avengers' batting lineup crumbled as none of the top six batters managed to reach double digits. Narayan Joshi offered a lone resistance, scoring 30 runs with three fours and two sixes before being caught in the deep in the 13th over.
Rhinos bowlers Luc Benkenstein and Deepak Bohara chipped in with three and one wicket each respectively, completing the Rhinos' dominant bowling performance. Rijan Dhakal's brilliant spell of 3-1-10-3 earned him the Man of the Match award.
Chitwan Rhinos Set a Challenging Target
Opting to bat first, the Rhinos had a shaky start, losing opener Deepak Bohara in the first over. Hassan Eisakhil followed soon after, scoring 14 off 10 balls with a boundary and a six.
Luc Benkenstein added 16 runs off 13 balls, including a four and two sixes, before being caught by Sagar Dhakal off Bhurtel's delivery. At 46/3 in the sixth over, Chitwan was under pressure.
Skipper Kushal Malla and Ravi Bopara steadied the innings with a 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Malla played an aggressive knock of 38 off 23 balls, smashing a four and four towering sixes before being caught at long-on by Bhurtel off Sagar Dhakal in the 14th over.
Ravi Bopara anchored the innings with a composed 51 off 38 balls, featuring three boundaries and three sixes. Bopara fell in the 16th over, caught at deep square leg, trying to accelerate the scoring. Amar Routela finished the innings with a last-ball six, pushing the total past 160.
Bipin Khatri, Bas de Leede, and Raymon Reifer claimed two wickets each, while Sagar Dhakal chipped in with one.
Post-match conference
Chitwan skipper Kushal Malla expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, particularly praising Bopara's innings and the bowling efforts of Tanvir and Dhakal. "I'm happy with how Ravi batted. Our partnership gave us a solid base, and the total was defendable. Sohail and Rijan were outstanding with the ball. Personally, I feel I'm getting back to form, but we aim to improve our batting in the upcoming matches."
Rijan Dhakal credited his success to Sohail Tanvir's advice, saying, "The ball was moving well, so I focused on hitting the right areas as Sohail suggested."
Tommorow's fixture:
Karnali Yaks face Kathmandu Gurkhas in the morning fixture, while Biratnagar Kings clash with Lumbini Lions in the afternoon match.
