Nepal Police Club (NPC) continued their winning streak in the Prime Minister’s Cup with a dominant 193-run victory over Madhesh Province on Saturday. The match, held at the Deukhuri International Cricket Stadium in Lamahi, saw the Police side maintain their unbeaten record, extending their winning run to four matches.

Set a challenging target of 289 runs by Nepal Police Club, Madhesh Province were bowled out for just 95 runs in 26.1 overs, succumbing to an appreciable bowling performance led by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi. Rajbanshi was the star of the match, claiming five wickets for 28 runs from 9.1 overs, including two maidens.

Madhesh Province’s chase began poorly when captain Anil Kumar Sah was dismissed for a duck by Karan KC in the very first over. The wickets kept falling rapidly, with no batsman able to settle in. Dipesh Das top-scored for Madhesh with 31 runs off 59 balls, including one six and two fours, while Rupesh Singh (16) and Vishal Patel (13) were the other notable contributors. The rest of the batsmen failed to reach double figures, with some not even opening their accounts.

Rajbanshi was well supported by his teammates, with Kushal Bhurtel taking two wickets for 12 runs from three overs, while Karan KC, Sagar Dhakal, and captain Dipendra Singh Airee each took one wicket.

Earlier, the police had posted a formidable total of 288 runs after opting to bat first. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee played a key role with the bat, scoring 63 runs off 36 balls, including four sixes and five fours. He was dismissed by Bishal Patel, caught by Nikhil Singh. Aarif Sheikh also contributed significantly with 55 runs off 54 balls, and Dilip Nath made 45 runs.

Madhesh Province’s bowlers, led by Rupesh Singh who took four wickets for 62 runs from 8.5 overs, could not prevent the Police side from posting a big total. Vishal Patel claimed three wickets for 57 runs from nine overs, and Kamal Gupta took two wickets for 57 runs from 10 overs.

This victory keeps Nepal Police Club at the top of the standings with 8 points from four matches. Madhesh Province, on the other hand, slipped to sixth place with just 2 points from three games.

In other tournament news, Bagmati Province will take on Sudurpaschim Province on Day 6 of the competition, while the next match between Lumbini Province and Bagmati Province is scheduled for Sunday morning at the same venue.