Shikhar Dhawan’s Unbeaten Half Century in Vain as Kathmandu Gurkhas Defeats Karnali Yaks by 3 Wickets

Kathmandu Gurkhas secured their first win in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) by defeating Karnali Yaks by three wickets in a thrilling match on Wednesday at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

After suffering a five-wicket defeat to Chitwan Rhinos in their opening match on Monday, December 2, Kathmandu made a comeback in their second game. 

Chasing a target of 150 runs, the Gurkhas successfully reached 153/7 with three balls to spare.

Sumit Maharjan was instrumental in the victory, scoring an unbeaten 40 off 37 balls with three boundaries and a six. Gerhard Erasmus contributed 38 runs, while skipper Karan KC added a crucial 28.

Among the openers, Michael Levitt scored 22, but Shankar Rana was dismissed cheaply for 6. SS Eskinazi and Bhim Sharki managed 3 and 9 runs, respectively.

On the bowling front for Karnali Yaks, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Zeeshan Maqsood, and Bipin Sharma took one wicket each.

Earlier, Karnali Yaks, invited to bat after losing the toss, posted 149/5 in their 20 overs.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan carried his bat with a solid 72 not out. Chaldick Walton added 21 runs, while Babar Hayat and Gulshan Jha contributed 13 and 12 runs, respectively. Zeeshan Maqsood remained unbeaten with 14 runs, while Dev Khanal and Arjun Gharti scored 0 and 4 runs.

For Kathmandu, Gerhard Erasmus took 2 wickets and Nathan Sowter, Dipesh Kandel and captain Karan KC took one wicket each.