Kathmandu Gorkhas secured a comfortable win against Chitwan Rhinos in the Nepal Premier League on Friday, defending a modest 142 runs at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Chitwan were dismissed for 89 runs in 17.2 overs, finishing 53 runs short of the target.

Kathmandu’s innings began poorly. Aakash Tripathi, Rashid Khan and Ben Charlesworth fell inside five overs, leaving the side struggling at 24 for 3. The recovery came through Milind Kumar and John Simpson. Kumar played steadily for 38 runs off 43 balls, keeping the innings together, while Simpson shifted momentum with an explosive 60 runs off 29 that included five sixes.

Their partnership carried Kathmandu to 122 runs by the end of the 16th over. The collapse that followed was severe. Simpson fell moments after reaching his fifty, and Kumar was dismissed at the close of the same over. The lower order then crumbled, losing six wickets for 20 runs. Kathmandu were bowled out for 142 in 19.4 overs, a total that looked workable but far from dominant.

Chitwan’s bowlers had controlled the final phase. Sohail Tanvir finished with 4 for 25, exploiting mistakes as Kathmandu pushed for late acceleration. Ranjit Kumar and Kamal Airee took two wickets each, and Ravi Bopara added one more. Their combined effort prevented Kathmandu from crossing 150, which had appeared likely during Simpson’s surge.

Chitwan’s chase never settled. Early wickets increased pressure, and the required rate rose sharply. No batter found fluency against Kathmandu’s disciplined attack. By the halfway stage, the innings was already tilting away from them as the run rate climbed beyond manageable levels. Dev Khanal and Ravi Bopara were the highest run scorers at 21 runs.

Once the last recognised pair fell before the 15th over, the chase unravelled. Kathmandu’s bowlers kept a tight line, forcing errors and inducing miscued strokes. Chitwan’s innings ended at 89, well short of the 143-run target.