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Rhinos inch closer to the final, Blasters get into the playoffs

The Chitwan outfit remains unbeaten in the tournament with four wins in as many matches. Rhinos inch closer to the final, Blasters get into the playoffs

Chitwan Rhinos’ Bhuwan Karki celebrates after taking a wicket of Biratnagar Titans’ player during the Pokhara Premier League match at Pokhara grounds on Sunday. Hemanta Shrestha/TKP

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Sports Bureau

Published at : December 23, 2019

Updated at : December 23, 2019 08:55

Kathmandu

Chitwan Rhinos inched closer to the Pokhara Premier League final with an 18-run win over Biratnagar Titans at the Pokhara grounds on Sunday. The Chitwan outfit remains unbeaten in the tournament with four wins in as many matches.

The Titans won the toss and put Chitwan into bat. Rhinos posted a competitive 146-4 in their stipulated 20 overs.

Chasing 147 runs for a win, the Titans made a poor start to their innings and were reduced to 37-6 in the ninth over. Puneet Mehra and Lokesh Bam then added 77 runs in a seventh-wicket partnership to revive Titans’ hopes.

However, Mehra (24) got out on the third delivery of the 17th over with the Titans still requiring 33 runs from 15 balls. Two balls later, Jitendra Mukhiya was clean bowled by Rohan Mustafa for a duck, which dashed all hopes of a Titans win. Thereafter, Bam, who had scored a 36-ball 62 was caught by Anil Sah off Karan KC and Shahab Alam got out on the last ball of the 19th over and it was curtains for the Titans.

Bhuvan Karki and Karan KC were the most successful of the Rhinos bowlers, bagging three wickets each. Man of the match Karki gave away only 14 runs from his three overs. Mustafa picked up two while Patel had one wicket against his name.

Earlier, Rhinos themselves had a poor start, losing opener Mustafa (7), with just 13 runs on the board. However, a 47 run stand between skipper Paras Khadka (35) and Babar Hayat (25) rescued their innings.

Khadka departed on the 5th ball of the 11th over with the Rhinos score at 60-2. Sah (3) was the next Rhinos batsman to depart, in the 14th over.

The Chitwan outfit were looking at a below-par total when Hayat was caught by Raju Rijal off Kishore Mahato in the 18th over. However, Aarif Sheikh and Sunny Patel both remained unbeaten and their aggressive batting display took the Rhinos to 146-4 in their 20 overs.

Sheikh hit three sixes and three fours as he scored 39 runs off 22 balls, while Patel also hit three sixes and a four in scoring a breezy 27 off just eight balls.

In the other match played on Sunday, Butwal Blasters secured their spot in the play-offs with a seven-wicket win against Expert Dhangadi. The defeat resulted in Dhangadi crashing out from the league stage of the tournament. They will now take on the defending champions, Pokhara Paltan, in the only PPL match slated for Monday.