Kathmandu, November 15
Karnali Yaks defeated Chitwan Rhinos by 24 runs in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Sunday, powered by an all-round performance from Hussain Talat.
Karnali, who had already been knocked out of the playoff race, ended the tournament with a win in their final league match. After winning their first two games, they had lost four in a row.
Chitwan had already secured a playoff place before this game. They finished fourth in the league stage with seven points from seven matches and will play the Eliminator.
Chasing 154 to win, Chitwan were bowled out for 129 in 19.1 overs. Talat followed his half-century with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 17 runs in 3.1 overs. Mark Watt and Pawan Sarraf took two wickets each, and Sompal Kami took one.
Usama Mir, who made his NPL debut in this match, top-scored for Chitwan with an unbeaten 28 off 23 balls, including two fours and a six. Opener Kamil Mishara made 25 off 17 balls with two fours and a six, and Dev Khanal added 14 off 13 balls with three fours.
Mishara and Khanal put on 35 runs for the first wicket, but no big partnership followed. Captain Sikandar Raza (2), Bibek Yadav (6) and Dan Mousley (8) fell cheaply, and Chitwan slipped to 64 for 5.
Kushal Malla and Salahuddin Khan tried to rebuild, but both were out after a 20-run stand. Malla made 18 off 15 balls, and Khan made 7. Ashok Dhami, who played his first game of the season, scored 11. Kamal Singh Airee and Rizan Dhakal were out for one run each.
Karnali won the toss and chose to bat first at the TU ground in Kirtipur. They scored 153 for 8 in their 20 overs, helped by Talat’s half-century.
Talat remained unbeaten on 51 off 33 balls, with two fours and a six. Opener Ariful Islam made an aggressive 35 off 15 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes. Sarraf scored 15 off 21 balls, including two sixes, and Gulsan Jha struck 18 off six balls late in the innings with a four and two sixes.
Chasin Sharma, who opened in his first match of the season, was out without scoring. Deepak Dumre (7), captain David Miller (5), Kami (4) and Watt (6) all fell cheaply, while Nandan Yadav was unbeaten on 2.
For Chitwan, Airee, Khan and Mir took two wickets each, while Dhakal and Raza took one each.
