Kathmandu, January 11

Ruslan KCTC and Royal PC Fighter recorded convincing wins in their opening matches of the second Ruslan Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament here at the Tribhuvan University Stadium today.

Hosts Kathmandu Cricket Training Centre saw off Cannon Cricket Club by seven wickets, while Royal PC defeated Khahare Cricket Club by six wickets.

In the first match of the day, KCTC invited Cannon to bat first and restricted them to 111-5 in 20 overs before reaching the target with more than five overs to spare. Cannon posted a respectable total, thanks to Suman Thakur’s 46-ball 38 that included four boundaries and a six. Bhuwan Basnet, the second highest scorer with 15 off 19 balls, hit a six, while Ajay Kumar Thakur (13) was the only other batsman to score in double figures. KCTC’s Sumit Jha and Dilip Yadav pocketed two wickets each and Sudhu Chaudhary claimed one.

In reply, KCTC raced to 114-3 with 30 balls remaining after skipper Sanjay Basnet remained unbeaten on 28-ball 42. Player-of-the-match Basnet hit seven fours. Aadil Khan (13), Bipan Acharya (11), Sumit Maharjan (11) and Bibek Rana Magar (not out 11) also scored in double digits.

In another match, Rabin Joshi’s unbeaten half century helped Royal PC overcome the 116-run target in 12.2 overs with six wickets in hand. Player-of-the-match Joshi scored a quick fire 30-ball 56 with the help of seven boundaries and three sixes for the winning team. Bijaya Sunar scored 29 off 24 that included four boundaries and a six.

Dhan Bahadur Karki played a 14-ball 23 cameo hitting three fours and a six.  Joshi shared a 48-run opening partnership with Karki and added 56 runs with Sunar. Ram Bahadur Rana claimed two wickets, while Roshan Pulami and Sanjam Regmi picked up one each for Khahare.

Earlier, batting first, Khahare managed 115-7 despite four batsmen scoring in double figures. Amrit Thapa was top scorer with run-a-ball 26 that included two sixes, while Anil Thapa added 23 off 18 balls with the help of four boundaries.

Roshan Pulami scored 22 off just 12 balls with two fours, while opener Krishna Adhikari scored 20 off 33 balls that included two fours. Dhiraj Shahi and Surendra Chand took two wickets each, while Rabin Khatri and Bijaya Sunar bagged one wicket each for Royal PC.