Nepal registered their second consecutive win in the quadrangular T20 series in Hong Kong with a six-wicket win against Kuwait at Mong Kok on Thursday.

Chasing 186, Nepal reached the target with seven balls to spare, with a blazing 81-run knock by Kushal Bhurtel.

Opting to field first, Nepal kept things tight early on despite a brisk start from Kuwait’s openers. Ravija Sandaruwan (26 off 15) and Clinto Anto (41 off 30) added 43 in just four overs, attacking from the outset. The breakthrough came via Lalit Rajbanshi, who had Sandaruwan caught by Gulsan Jha.

Anto and Meet Bhavsar kept the scoreboard ticking, pushing Kuwait to 97 before Anto fell in the final ball of the 10th over, caught by Rohit Paudel off Nandan Yadav. Bhavsar struck two sixes in his 28-ball 35 before being bowled by Sompal Kami, who also removed Usman Patel two balls later to rattle Kuwait’s middle order.

Kushal Bhurtel got into the act with the ball, trapping Muhammad Umar LBW for one, and though Bilal Tahir’s 13-ball 32 – including four sixes – gave the innings a late boost, wickets continued to fall. Kami returned figures of 3-36, while Yadav (2-34) and Bhurtel (1-27) kept the scoring in check as Kuwait finished on 185-8.

In reply, Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh came out all guns blazing, putting up a 127-run opening stand. Bhurtel was at his brutal best, hammering six fours and six sixes in his 81-run knock. Sheikh supported with a well-paced 53 off 38, with four sixes.

Both openers fell within the space of two overs — Bhurtel to Yasin Patel, Sheikh to captain Mohammed Aslam — and Kushal Malla departed soon after for 4. But Dipendra Singh Airee’s explosive 12-ball 31, featuring three sixes, took Nepal to the brink. Gulsan Jha then sealed the win with two boundaries in his three-ball nine as Nepal reached the target in 18.5 overs.

Yasin Patel was the only bowler to pose any real threat, finishing with 2-17 in his four overs. However, lack of control from the rest — particularly Meet Bhavsar, who leaked 41 in two overs — hurt Kuwait’s chances.

Returning to international matches after five months, the senior team started their campaign on a high on Wednesday. Nepal chased Qatar’s target of 152 runs with eight wickets and 18 balls in hand.

Nepal will face Hong Kong on Saturday. The quadrangular series involves Hong Kong, Kuwait, Nepal and Qatar.