Rapti clinched a one wicket win over Narayani in the last league match of the Gautam Buddha Cup twenty20 cricket tournament played in Bharatpur on Monday.

Kushal Bhurtel cracked 65 runs off 41 balls as Rapti chased 139 runs target with a ball to spare. Bhurtel, who came as one of the openers, hit four fences and six sixes before being bowled out by Kishore Mahato in the 11th over.

Both sides have already secured berths in the three-team round-robin league finals after defeating national team skipper Gyanendra Malla-led Bagmati in their first matches.

Monday’s match outcome means Rapti secured first position in the round-robin league finals. The same two teams will vie in the final on Tuesday.

Kamal Singh who came to bat at number eight remained unbeaten at 24 runs while Asif Sheikh and Sumit Maharjan contributed 14 and 12 runs respectively.

Narayani captain Karan KC claimed three wickets while Kishore Mahato and Sushan Bhari grabbed two wickets each.

Narayani, which elected to bat first, made a shaky start and lost four wickets for 28 runs. But they managed to reach 138-8 with contributions from their lower middle and tailender batsmen. Sushan Bhari, who came to bat at number seven, contributed 18 runs before skipper KC and Mahato played 59 runs for the eight wicket.

Mahato contributed unbeaten 36 runs, the highest score for Narayani, which included two boundaries and four sixes in his 14-ball knock. KC scored 32 off 22 deliveries.

Rapti bowlers Surya Tamang and Abinash Bohara grabbed two wickets apiece while Jitendra Mukhiya, Kamal Singh and Basant Karki picked one each.

The tournament is organised by Bagmati Province Cricket Association to bring the game back on pitch as no competitive game was held for nearly a year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.The teams have players from the national team training camp, age group teams and those of Chitwan.