Compared to the previous edition in 2024, the 21st edition of Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, a six-a-side cricket tournament of six overs each, was not going well for Nepal.

The Rhinos had finished as the group topper when they debuted in the tournament last year, having defeated the likes of Australia and England.

However, this year, Nepal lost both of their group-stage fixtures—against Afghanistan by 17 runs on Friday and against South Africa by four wickets on Saturday.

The 12 participating teams in the event—eight Full Members and four Associates—have been divided into four groups of three each. As per the tournament structure, the bottom teams of the four groups will play in a single round-robin structure in Bowl League, while eight teams—the top two teams from each group—enter the quarterfinals.

And the Bowl League—which featured Nepal, the UAE, India and Sri Lanka—provided a much-needed relief for the Rhinos as they defeated Dinesh Karthik-led India by 92 runs at Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok on Saturday. Moreover, it was a record victory—the win by the largest margin in Hong Kong Sixes’ history.

India had defeated Pakistan in Group C, but lost to Kuwait by 27 runs. But as Pakistan defeated Kuwait and all three teams had equal points from one win each, India fell short in net run rate.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first against the neighbour, Nepal posted a mammoth total of 137 runs without losing a single wicket. As a batsman needs to retire after reaching 50 runs in the tournament, Rashid Khan returned after contributing 55 runs in 17 deliveries with four fours and six sixes.

Khan’s opening partner, Sundeep Jora, who was the captain in the game, stayed not out at 47 off 12 (4 fours, 5 sixes) with Lokesh Bam adding 31 off 7 (1 four, 4 sixes).

The target was big and defendable. Yet, the Indian lineup was a worrying one for the Rhinos as there were some big and experienced names. Karthik, who is known for his hard-hitting prowess, had Robin Utthappa and Stuart Binny in the squad.

But the big trio could only add 12 runs in total. Utthappa (5 off 3) and Karthik (7 off 3) were caught out by Mohammad Adil Alam in the spell of Rupesh Singh and Khan, respectively. Binny, who departed for a golden duck, was also caught by Alam, in Basir Ahamad’s spell.

Abhimanyu Mithun, who did not get the chance to face a single delivery, was the last man standing for India as they got all out at 45 runs in three overs. Bharat Chipli (12 off 5), Priyank Panchal (12 off 5) and Shahbaz Nadeem (7 off 4) were the other batters in India’s team.

Nepal are currently in second place in the Bowl League. They have two points from the win over India, but had lost the first game of the Bowl by three wickets against Sri Lanka on the same day.

The loss to Nepal was India’s second in the Bowl; they were defeated by the UAE by four wickets earlier. Sri Lanka have two wins, defeating Nepal and the UAE.

Sunday will see Nepal facing the UAE while India face Sri Lanka. The top two teams in the Bowl League will play in the Bowl Finals.

On the other hand, Australia, Pakistan, England and Kuwait have entered the semifinals after defeating Bangladesh, South Africa, Hong Kong and Afghanistan, respectively, in the quarterfinals. Australia are playing Pakistan, and England face Kuwait for a spot in the final.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan are facing South Africa and Hong Kong in the plate semifinals, respectively. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, with the winners of all the stages decided.

The tournament also has a different significance for Nepal because it will be the last for Sharad Vesawkar, who was part of Nepal’s squad in the maiden T20 World Cup in 2014. Vesawkar has only played in one of the four matches—against Sri Lanka—in the tournament so far.

Jora, Bam and Khan are the three players who had also played in the previous edition of the tournament.