Tez crushed Gyanendra Malla-led Colors X-Factors by 156 runs for their third consecutive victory to advance with two matches to spare after earning six points from their three games.

Jagdamba Giants edged Kantipur Gurkhas by 13 runs for their third victory in four matches. Giants have one match in hand.

Sagarmatha Legends (4 points) are third in the table and will contest for the remaining two berths for the semi-finals with Gurkhas, X-Factors and Vishal Warriors, who all have two points each.

Paras Khadka-led Warriors and X-Factors have one match left. Winning their last games may still not be sufficient as their fate would be determined through net run rate.

In Kanchanpur, Bhuwan’s sensational bowling was the highlight of the day as he struck on regular intervals to derail X-Factors’ run chase. Rajesh Pulami was the only X-Factors batsman to show some resistance making 39 off 65 with four fours and a six.

Man-of-the-match Bhuwan returned with figures of 6-40 from nine overs, while Karan KC took 2-21 from seven. Binod Das and Raj Kumar Pradhan snapped up one wicket each.

Openers Indra Kamal Manandhar (25) and Sanjay Shrestha laid the foundation for Tez’s victory with a 58-run stand in 8.2 overs. Shrestha blasted a quickfire 43 off 31 balls with five fours and two sixes before losing his wicket to Faizlur Rehman Khan. Indra Kamal went on to add another 33 with Sunny Pun before both batsmen fell prey to Kumar Thapa in the space of 14 runs.

Puspa Thapa then anchored Tez innings with three crucial stands, beginning with a 45-run partnership with Aarif Sheikh (14). After Sheikh departed, Thapa added 61 runs with skipper Vesawkar (16) and another 56 with Binod Das for the sixth wicket. Thapa was finally dismissed for 91 off 94, the knock featuring nine boundaries and four sixes. Das hit three sixes and one four in his 22-ball 30.

Tez lost their last four wickets for just nine runs. Khan took 3-21 from four overs. Amar Singh Routela, Sanjam Regmi and Siddhant Lohani also had one scalp apiece for X-Factors.

Giants recover to see off Kantipur Gurkhas

Mohan Budhayer

Jagdamba Giants staged a sensational comeback with the bat to edge Kantipur Gurkhas by 13 runs in the Ncell Nepal Premier League at the Fapla cricket grounds on Monday.

Electing to bat first, Giants recovered from 45-5 before making 201 all out in 49 overs. Medium pacers Nizamuddin Ansari and Som Pal Kami then shared nine wickets between them to restrict Gurkhas for 188 runs in 49 overs.

Giants had a disastrous start when half their batsmen headed towards the pavilion inside 13 overs with the team yet to reach a 50-run mark. Opener Amit Shrestha and Suvendu Pandey rescued Giants with a 100-run stand. Amit top scored for Giants with 60 off 100 balls with nine boundaries and a six.

Suvendu made 53 off 73 hitting five fours and a six, while skipper Shakti Gauchan chipped in 25 off 59 with three boundaries, taking the team across 200 runs. Skipper Basanta Regmi was pick of the Gurkhas bowlers claiming 4-40 from 10 overs. Gopal Singh (3-40) and Pradeep Airee (2-25) also shared five wickets between them.

Gurkhas were right on track in their chase when opener Airee and Subash Khakurel (15) put on a 44-run stand. But  Kami grabbed two wickets in his successive overs to slow down the Gurkhas’ march. Kami removed Khakurel and new-man Surendra Chand (0).

Airee, however, stood firm and shared another 73-run with Regmi (23). But Gurkhas lost their last seven wickets after Airee was dismissed at 131-3. Airee scored a match-high 78 off 94 deliveries, his knock included eight fours and four sixes. Man-of-the-match Ansari picked up 5-33 from 10 overs and Kami took 4-56.