Boundaries rained at the TU International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur, Kathmandu on Tuesday. The two matches on Match Day 2 of the second Nepal Premier League saw 46 sixes and 48 fours in total.

Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks played the second match of the season and the first of the day. The Rhinos won the toss and elected to field first. Karnali posted a decent total of 166/3 in the first inning.

Priyank Panchal, who was part of the Indian squad in the Hong Kong Sixes in early November, was the hero for Karnali. In his first tour to Nepal, Panchal missed his maiden century by 10 runs. But his inning was one to remember—a 48-ball 90 on the back of six sixes and seven fours.

Chitwan managed the chase with five balls remaining. Ravi Bopara, the English cricketer retained by the Rhinos, was the highest scorer for the team as he smashed 52 off 36, with three fours and sixes each, after a disciplined knock by opener Deepak Bohara (42 off 36).

Scoring 38 off 16 with two fours and four sixes, Saif Zaib, the best player of the inaugural NPL for Sudurpaschim Royals, took the Rhinos closer to the target, allowing Arjun Saud (8 off 4) to finish the chase.

The match aggregate of 337 runs between Chitwan and Karnali was the fourth-highest in the NPL. But it went down a position after the game between Biratnagar Kings and Pokhara Avengers took the top spot.

Further, Biratnagar and Pokhara showcased a quality T20 game, filled with boundaries. The second match of Tuesday saw 26 sixes and 26 fours, and a match aggregate of 387 runs.

Further, Biratnagar, who were asked to bat first as Kushal Bhurtel-led Pokhara expected to utilise the conditions, smashed a record-highest total in the NPL: 220 runs.

The Avengers got an early relief getting opener George Munsey (10 off 6) caught in the second over, but they could not capitalise on it. Lokesh Bam, who got Martin Guptill as the new partner, stood the ground for over 12 overs and built up a 132-run partnership for the second wicket.

When Guptill, the New Zealand great, got caught in 13.5 overs, after scoring 61 off 35 with three fours and five sixes, Biratnagar were at 146. Bam joined him soon, getting caught in the 16th over after contributing 72 off 48 (1 four, 7 sixes).

However, Shubham Ranjane and Basir Ahmad scored 38 off 16 and 23 off 13, respectively, to take the score over 200, the first in NPL. By the end of the first inning, Biratnagar stood tall at 220/6. None of the six Pokhara bowlers had an economy below 10, suggesting all got smacked.

After doing great with the bat, Biratnagar showed their desire to win, and it gained weight after they sent Pokhara’s opener Dinesh Kharel (7 off 6) back to the pavilion in the second over.

But Pokhara were not ready to give up easily. The way Bhurtel and Adam Rossington batted, showering boundaries, Biratnagar’s big total looked formidable.

However, Ranjane, who performed well with the bat, gave the relief in the last ball of the 7th over, getting Rossington (39 off 21) out for leg before. The Avengers then started getting disassembled.

The next over saw Sandeep Lamichhane attack, and he got James Neesham, the New Zealand all-rounder who was a key part of the NPL-winning squad of Janakpur Bolts last season, caught and bowled for a golden duck in 7.2 overs. Trit Raj Das followed Neesham to the crease and also to the dugout, as he was bowled by Lamichhane in 7.4 overs.

“The target was chaseable as we knew our abilities,” Bhurtel said in the post-match conference. “However, the boys got nervous in the middle, and it cost us dearly.”

Pokhara were in the chase until Bhurtel was at the crease. However, when he departed after adding 59 off 31, as the seventh wicket, in the 15th over, the stadium’s scene showed that they had lost. Fans started leaving, believing that it was over for the Avengers.

“I had confidence that I could chase the target if I continued playing,” Bhurtel said with a sore voice. “But it is not the end, it is just the beginning. There are still many games and as many chances to bounce back.”

Similarly, Lamichhane, who was the most economical bowler (4-0-18-2) of the match, said that he was happy with the team and the coordination between the experienced and young players.

“There is always something to learn from those with experience, while the youngsters play with hunger to do more,” the Biratnagar skipper said. “And it worked out well for us.”

When the Post asked how the team would further strengthen once Faf du Plessis, the South African firework, joins the team, Lamichhane shared that there would be so much more to learn from one of the greats in the business.

Kathmandu Gorkhas, who defeated Janakpur in the tournament opener on Monday, will return to action on Wednesday. This time, the Gorkhas will face the last season’s runners-up, Sudurpaschim Royals, for whom it will be the first match of the second season.