Makawanpur, March 9

Paras-XI defeated Niraj-XI by two wickets in a charity cricket match organised to raise funds for the treatment of former player and coach Niraj Shrestha here at the Huprachaur grounds today.

Batting first, Niraj-XI posted 171 runs in their allotted 20 overs before Paras-XI overcame the total losing eight wickets with two balls to spare. Dipendra Singh Airee and Sompal Kami added 78 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket to lead the team to victory. Airee remained unbeaten on 62 runs, while Kami scored 29 not out.

National team skipper Paras Khadka led the Paras-XI that also included the likes of Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Anil Kumar Shah, Amit Shrestha, Mehboob Alam, Arif Sheikh, Sandip Joa, Amit Shrestha, Anil Mandal along with Makawanpur footballers Ranjan Bista and Anjan Bista. Ram Naresh Giri was the captain of Niran-XI which was formed of local players.

A donation campaign was organised during the match to help Shrestha, who is suffering from blood cancer. National team skipper Khadka contributed Rs 25,000, while Bista siblings donated Rs 10,000. Other players also made their contribution for the noble cause. The charity match was organised jointly by Makawanpur District Cricket Association, Makawanpur Cricket Academy and Madan Bhandari Sports Academy. Various artists presented their performance during the charity match.