Lumbini Province secured a remarkable 48-run victory over Bagmati Province in the ongoing Prime Minister’s Cup One-Day Men’s Cricket Tournament, with their spinners producing a stellar performance.

Chasing a modest target of 116 runs set by Lumbini, Bagmati were dismissed for just 67 runs in 22.5 overs on Sunday at the Deukhuri International Cricket Stadium in Lamahi. Bagmati’s batting collapse was triggered early, as they lost four wickets in the first powerplay, managing only 36 runs. They were eventually bowled out in the second powerplay.

Lumbini’s spinners dominated with remarkable figures, taking six of the nine wickets to fall. Spinner Nirmal Gurung struck early, dismissing Rit Gautam for a duck on the last ball of the second over, and his sharp bowling set the tone for the rest of the innings.

Bagmati’s captain, Prithu Baskota, top-scored with 15 runs from 26 balls, including two boundaries, before being bowled out by Bipreshan KC. The rest of the batting line-up crumbled quickly, with five more players falling to Lumbini’s bowlers. Ashutosh Ghiraiya made 11 runs, while Sunil Tamang added 6 runs before being bowled out by Ajay Chauhan.

The spin duo of Bipreshan and Nirmal, along with pacer Ramesh Kurmi, took a combined total of 10 wickets to bowl Bagmati out for 67. Bipreshan was named Player of the Match for his bowling performance, claiming 3 wickets for just 13 runs in 6 overs. Ajay Chauhan also contributed with 3 wickets, conceding only 14 runs in 5.5 overs.

Earlier in the day, Lumbini were dismissed for 115 runs after opting to bat first. Despite a strong performance from Bagmati’s bowlers, including a four-wicket haul by Gautam KC, Lumbini managed to set a modest target. Akash Tripathi was the top scorer for Lumbini with 33 runs, but Bagmati’s bowlers kept the opposition in check, dismissing them in 32.4 overs.

In another game played on Sunday, APF Club secured a 5-wicket victory over Karnali Province. Karnali set a target of 190 runs, which APF chased down in 39.2 overs, losing 5 wickets along the way.

Dipak Bohara played a crucial role in the chase, remaining not out on 70 runs from 67 balls, including 8 boundaries and 4 sixes. Despite APF finding themselves in a difficult situation at 86 for 5, Bohara’s resilience alongside Sumit Maharjan, who remained not out on 34 runs from 53 balls, helped steer the team home with a 107-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

APF’s openers, Aasif Sheikh and Lokesh Bam contributed 25 and 22 runs, respectively, while captain Rohit Paudel added 22 runs. Karnali’s bowlers, led by captain Diwan Pun and Deependra Rawat, each took 2 wickets, with Prakash Jaishi picking up 1.

Earlier in the match, Karnali were dismissed for 189 runs in 47 overs. Sunil Dhamala top-scored for Karnali with 47 runs from 75 balls, including 4 boundaries and 6 sixes, while Dinesh Adhikari contributed 33 runs from 26 balls.

With this win, APF moved into third place with 6 points from 4 games. Karnali, with 2 points from 5 games, remain in a tough position at the bottom of the table.

Lumbini will face Madhesh Province in their next match on Monday in Lamahi.

The ongoing tournament, organised by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), features teams from all seven provinces, along with departmental teams, including the Army Club, APF Club, and Nepal Police Club. The competition is held in a round-robin format, with matches scheduled until March 29.