Chitwan Rhinos out as Karnali Yaks win by 21 runs

KATHMANDU: At Kirtipur Cricket Ground, the Karnali Yaks defeated the Chitwan Rhinos by 21 runs in the Nepal Premier League's elimination round. The Rhinos were unable to achieve a victory after being limited to 154/9 while chasing a target of 175/6.

The winner of the first qualifier between the Janakpur Bolts and Sudurpaschim Royals will now face Karnali. The victor of the first qualifier will go straight to the final, and the winner of the second qualifier will compete against them for a position in the championship match.

Ravi Bopara of Chitwan put up a strong fight for his team, scoring 53 runs off of 34 balls. His attempts were unsuccessful, though, as Nandan Yadav removed him in the eighteenth over. Luc Benkenstein and captain Kushal Malla both scored 16 and 23 runs, respectively, but they were unable to reach the objective. 

Sompal Kami, Karnali's captain, took two wickets and led from the front. With three wickets, Zeeshan Maqsood was the most impressive player, followed by Bipin Sharma with one. Karnali dismissed Chitwan for 154 thanks in large part to Nandan Yadav, who took two crucial wickets in the last overs, including Bopara's.

Karnali scored a formidable 175/6 earlier in the game. Will Basisto and Jayakrishna Kolsawala, the openers, both contributed significantly, with Basisto getting 52 runs off 37 balls and Kolsawala scoring 53 runs off 39 balls. Another important player was Chadwick Walton, who helped Karnali reach a high score with 46 runs off 23 balls.

Basisto and Walton's partnership was especially effective; together, they scored 67 runs off of just 29 balls. Rit Gautam and Gulshan Jha of Karnali were out for ducks, and Rijan Dhakal's over lost by 21 runs. Before being removed from the game, Zeeshan Maqsood scored a rapid 14 runs.

With assistance from their key players, Karnali's top order established a solid foundation upon which their total was built. They posted a difficult total even though they lost a few early wickets. Chitwan's bowlers, under the leadership of their skipper Malla, found it difficult to penetrate Karnali's aggressive batting.

Karnali made it to the second qualifying with the victory. They will now await the winner of the first qualifier between the Janakpur Bolts and Sudurpaschim Royals. Later in the day, the two teams are supposed to play each other.

The 'Player of the Match' award went to Chadwick Walton for his brilliant batting display, which cemented his contribution to Karnali's triumph.