Rain forced a damp start to Nepal’s premier one-day domestic tournament as both opening matches of the ‘PM Cup: Men’s National Cricket Tournament’ were washed out in Madhesh on Saturday.

The Janakpur-based Ramjanaki Multipurpose Stadium was ready to witness Madhesh Province take on Koshi Province, while the Birgunj-based TB Shah Cricket Ground hosted Karnali Province and Lumbini Province.

The match in Birgunj went on for a while.

Lumbini’s skipper Dev Khanal won the toss and elected to bowl first. While there was no sun when the match began at 9am, the weather looked clear.

However, as the overs went by, the wind got stronger. Strong winds gave way to a drizzle when Rajendra Bam started the sixth over. As Sandesh Thapa came to bowl the seventh over, the rain got heavier. When the over ended, the umpires ordered the players to leave the ground. The match was cancelled after a while. Karnali and Lumbini then shared a point each.

Rabindra Shahi and Sunil Dhamala opened for Karnali and were batting at 9 off 29 and 7 off 13, respectively.

Meanwhile, around 70 kilometres east of the TB Shah Cricket Ground, Janakpur’s Ramjanaki Multipurpose Stadium could not even witness the toss between Madhesh and Koshi.

And as the ground remained unfit for play by the cutoff time, the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Koshi and Madhesh also shared a point each.

There are 45 league-stage matches in the tournament between 10 teams. The top two teams will play the final in Birgunj on April 17.

Out of the 45 league matches, 35 will be hosted in the two venues of Madhesh. Ten of the remaining matches will be played at the Upper and Lower Mulpani grounds.

There is a rest day in Madhesh on Sunday, while the Mulpani grounds will be busy. The Lower Mulpani will host Tribhuvan Army Club and Nepal Police Club, while Bagmati Province will face Armed Police Force at the Upper Mulpani.