Sudurpashchim were on a roll in the eighth edition of the Men’s PM Cup. But it saw an end on Monday with the westernmost province suffering a 45-run loss to Armed Police Force (APF) Club at Ramjanaki Multipurpose Ground in Janakpur.

Sudurpashchim were playing their seventh game of the tournament against APF. The provincial side, which started the event with a win over Karnali on March 23, was on a four-match winning streak after losing their second match against Madhesh on March 25.

Despite the loss, Sudurpashchim stayed firmly in the second position on the points table. They have 10 points from five wins in seven games.

Winning the toss and electing to field first, Sudurpashchim bowlers could not do enough.

With a half-century by Sundeep Jora (55 off 45), alongside good knocks from Lokesh Bam (47 off 40), Deepak Bohara (46 off 68) and Sumit Maharjan (41 off 51), APF posted 259/9 in the first innings.

Sudurpashchim were in the chase until Ashok Dhami was at the crease. However, after Dhami (50 off 43) departed as the sixth wicket in 38.5 overs, the remaining wickets fell swiftly.

From 177/6, Sudurpashchim were 187/9 by the end of the 42nd over, thanks to teenager Yuvraj Khatri bagging three wickets—Narayan Joshi (4 off 9), Milan Bohara (23 off 23) and Hemant Dhami (0 off 1)—in the same over.

With the three wickets in the 42nd over, Khatri, a right-arm spinner, bagged his first five-wicket haul in the Men’s PM Cup. Khatri’s other victims in the match were Naren Bhatta (15 off 24) and Kiran Thagunna (0 off 1), with the duo getting out one after another in the 12th over.

With the win, APF now have seven points in seven games, and are placed sixth on the points table. It was the first match of the tournament for Sudurpashchim against a departmental side.

Sudurpashchim now face bigger challenges to keep their second position secured as they face Tribhuvan Army Club and Nepal Police Club in their remaining two fixtures.

On the other hand, Army cemented their top position on the points table with a win over Karnali at TB Shah Cricket Ground in Birgunj.

After defeating Karnali, Army stayed as the only unbeaten team in the tournament. It was their fifth win in six matches; their March 28 fixture against APF was obstructed by rain.

Army won the toss against Karnali and decided to bat first. In response, they saw a devastating start as the top four batsmen—Trit Raj Das (0 off 6), Binod Bhandari (9 off 10), Bhim Sharki (6 off 15) and Kushal Malla (1 off 7)—departed early. They were 38/4 in nine overs.

Then came Arjun Saud to the rescue. Saud, the wicketkeeper-batsman, and Basir Ahmad built a 99-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Ahmad departed, falling short of five runs for his fifty. However, Saud stayed. Saud was the last wicket to fall. And he had already done the damage before being struck leg-before by Prakash Jaishi in the last ball of the 48th over.

Saud departed at 121 off 120, taking the team to 268. It was the sixth century in the eighth edition of the Men’s PM Cup.

In turn, only a few batsmen—Bipin Shahi (40 off 70), Arjun Gharti (32 off 58) and Dipendra Rawat (25 off 42)—scored some runs for Karnali, and the provincial side was bundled out at 130 runs in 42.1 overs.

There is a rest day on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Bagmati are facing Koshi in Janakpur, while Gandaki will play against Madhesh in Birgunj.