After a successful group stage and eliminator round, the grand finale of the tournament, organised by Queen's Event Management, will be played at the Tribhuvan University cricket ground in Kirtipur on Thursday. Two teams—Chitwan Rhinos and Kat Queens Kathmandu—will battle it for the title. But can the Queens overcome the undefeated Rhinos and lift the first franchise-based women's cricket tournament in the country?

Queens and Rhinos played in the curtain raiser of the tournament on October 16. Rhinos made light work of the Queens to bundle them out for a paltry 92 runs with Santoshi Chaudhary picking three wickets. After early wobble, Rhinos middle order batters put up a good show and the team eventually registered a five-wicket victory.

Following their first defeat, Queens went on to win their remaining three group matches against Pokhara Paltan, Biratnagar Titans and Lalitpur Falcons before thrashing Biratnagar Titans in the eliminator by nine wickets to confirm their place in the final. Queens are now looking to avenge that only defeat in the tournament decider.

Queens captain Rubina Chhetry is aware of the qualities Rhino possess. "We have to give our best to defeat them. I hope the final is going to be a good showdown between the two teams," she said during the pre-match conference and photo shoot at Chandragiri Hills on Wednesday.

But looking at their performance in this tournament, the Queens are relying heavily on their skipper for victories. Chhetry has scored 212 from her five innings, including two half-centuries. She also has grabbed five wickets, just one behind their leading wicket taker Ishwori Bist.

"Other players too have the potential to play-match winning innings. As a team captain, I have more responsibility but others too have to take theirs and play responsibly," said Chhetry. Chhetry is also buoyed by the performance her team produced in the eliminator against Biratnagar Titans.

"Restricting a team once cruising at 44-1 to 68 all out helps build confidence. I hope that will help us in the final," she said.

In comparison, the Queens opponents Rhinos' players have put on a balanced performance in their undefeated run. Kajal Shrestha is their top scorer with 113 runs but unlike the Queens, they have not had to rely on a single player in most of their matches.

"Every player has stepped up and helped the team in difficult situations and won us the match. We will hope to continue that in the final," said Rhinos captain Indu Barma during the photo shoot.

After victory in the first match, the Rhinos defeated Lalitpur Falcons, Pokhara Paltan and Biratnagar Titans to storm into the final. They have one of the best bowlers in their disposal in Kabita Gautam. Gautam has taken 10 wickets from four matches and has become the difference for the team. Their remaining bowling line up is also decent. Rekha Rawal has five and Santoshi Chaudhary has four wickets to their names.

But Barma is not content over possessing a good bowling line up and is cautious over taking Queens lightly. "They lost to us but have made a good comeback after that. We should be aware of that," said Barma.

Both the captains said they were very excited about taking part in competition like this and hoped it would help promote women's cricket in the country. "This tournament will help bring more women cricketers forward," said Barma.

Chhetry also believes it has not only provided a good platform for new cricketers, but also helped others in sharpening their cricketing skills and fill them with new hope. She says with the South Asian Games approaching and women's cricket included in it for the first time, it also was a good preparation for the same. "If I was put into the South Asian Games directly, it would not be possible for me to handle the nervousness and excitement. But taking part here prior to the event has helped me prepare for the Games," said Chhetry.