Hari Bahadur Chauhan starred with the bat and Jitendra Mukhiya shone with the ball as Tribhuvan Army Club hammered New Horizon Club of Butwal by 59 runs to win the Karnali Premier League title here on Saturday.

Electing bat first, the U-19 national team cricketer Chauhan forged a crucial partnership with opener Raju Rijal lifting Army to 146-6 in 20 overs. Mukhiya, once a key fast bowler with the senior national side, was back to his old self and picked up three wickets in an economical bowling display with New Horizon innings shutting down for 87 in 18.3 overs. Along with the title, the Armymen collected a cash purse of Rs 500,000 and New Horizon got Rs 200,000.

Former national team veteran left arm spinner Shakti Gauchan-led New Horizon drew the first blood through Bikash Shrestha who skipper Binod Bhandari (duck) in the third ball of the innings. Chauhan then put Army in a strong position with a match-winning 95-run stand for second wicket with Rijal who was out for a 36-ball 34 with two sixes and a boundary.

With Rijal’s departure, Army lost their six wickets in a space of 19 runs but Bhim Sharki provided a much-needed lift smashing three sixes in his seven-ball cameo of 21 not out. Man-of-the-match Chauhan made a run-a-ball 56 with seven hits to the fence. Bikash Shrestha took two wickets for New Horizon.

New Horizon lost their opener Shubhendu Pandey (naught) in the second ball of their innings to Mukhiya as the Armymen kept taking control of the game picking up wickets at regular intervals. A 26-run eighth wicket partnership between Bishal Sunar and Rahul Prajapati (12) was the only bright spot with the bat for them.

Sunar made 26 off 25 balls hitting five boundaries and Nischal Chaudhary’s run-a-ball 19 included two fours and a six. Mukhiya returned the miserly figures of 3-8 from 3.3 overs including a maiden, while left arm spinner Shahab Alam also took 3-13 from three.

New Horizon skipper Gauchan was named the player-of-the-series and got Rs 50,000. Rabindra Jung Shahi (batsman) of Karnali XI and Sushan Bhari Shrestha (bowler) of Army were other two individual winners. They got Rs 20,000 apiece. A total of eight teams had participated in the tournament organised by Karnali Cricket Academy.