Janakpur Bolts claimed their first win of the Nepal Premier League on Tuesday as they defeated Chitwan Rhinos by six wickets.
In a thrilling high-scoring match, Janakpur defeated Chitwan Rhinos by 6 wickets. Janakpur’s victory was propelled by half-centuries from Maz Sadakat and Anil Sah.
Chasing a target of 177, Janakpur Bolts achieved it in 17.3 overs, losing 4 wickets and reaching 180 runs. This win makes Janakpur the team to complete the highest chase of the season. However, even if they win their remaining two matches, they’ll have to wait for the results of other games to secure a playoff spot.
Janakpur got off to a strong start, scoring 59 runs in the first powerplay, but lost 1 wicket. Opener Ashif Sheikh was bowled out by Kamal Airi on the first ball of the 6th over. At the time of Ashif’s dismissal for 18, the team had reached 45 runs.
Following Ashif’s exit, Sadakat was joined by Anil at the crease. Anil, who had been dropped in the match against Pokhara Avengers, returned to the playing XI today and gave valuable support to Sadakat.
In the 10th over, Sadakat reached his half-century with a boundary off Ravi Bopara, hitting 5 fours and 3 sixes off 24 balls. By the end of the 10th over, Janakpur had scored 110 runs, putting them in a strong position with only 67 more runs needed from the final 60 balls.
Sadakat and Anil put together a solid partnership, adding 79 runs off 37 balls for the second wicket. Sadakat was dismissed for 63 (6 fours and 4 sixes off 30 balls), caught by captain Kusal Mall on Amr Singh Routela’s delivery. At this point, Janakpur needed 53 runs from the remaining 52 balls to win.
Then, Jan Nicholas Lofty joined Anil at the crease. Anil continued his good form, scoring a half-century off 28 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes. By the 15th over, Janakpur had reached 155 runs, and only 22 more runs were needed from the final 30 balls to seal the victory.
However, in the 16th over, Janakpur lost 2 wickets. Lofty was dismissed for 11 runs, and Anil, after scoring 61 runs (4 fours, 3 sixes off 36 balls), was caught by Kusal Mall off Sohail Tanvir’s delivery. At the end, Aditya Mehta (14 runs) and Sanjay Krishnamurthy (5 runs) remained unbeaten.
In the bowling department, Sohail Tanvir, Kamal Airi, and Amr Singh Routela each took 1 wicket.
Earlier, Chitwan Rhinos won the toss and chose to bat first at the TU Cricket Stadium. They posted a total of 176 runs in 20 overs, losing 4 wickets.
Janakpur dropped national player Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi for this match, but their bowling still seemed a bit weak. During the first powerplay, Chitwan made 38 runs without losing a wicket, a first for them in this tournament.
Chitwan’s opening pair of David Malan and Arjun Saud built a solid foundation. Malan, who was dropped by Anil while on 35 runs in the 9th over, went on to score 80 runs (4 fours, 4 sixes off 54 balls). Arjun also made a half-century, scoring 52 runs (4 fours, 3 sixes off 37 balls). They put together a partnership of 112 runs for the first wicket, the highest opening stand of the season.
Janakpur finally broke the partnership through Lofty, who dismissed Arjun. Shortly after, Saf Kaeb was caught by Sanjay Krishnamurthy off Anil’s bowling for just 7 runs. By the end of the 15th over, Chitwan had scored 128 runs.
The third wicket fell when Ravi Bopara was dismissed for just 3 runs off Rupesh Singh’s delivery, leaving Chitwan at 143 runs.
Malan’s wicket was claimed by Sadakat, and Kusal Mall made a quickfire 30 runs off 14 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes) before the innings ended. In the bowling department, Sadakat, Anil, Rupesh, and Lofty each claimed 1 wicket.
For Chitwan, this was their third defeat. With just 2 wins from 5 games, they have 4 points, and their path to the playoffs is now much more difficult. The second game of the day will be between Pokhara Avengers and Karnali Yaks.