Nepal Police Club dominated the Prime Minister’s Cup National Cricket Tournament, crushing Tribhuvan Army Club in the finals. They remained undefeated throughout, showcasing their prowess at the TU Ground. Their flawless run started in the league stage, paving the way for a triumphant finish.
This marked the third title win for the Police, with their previous victories in 2017 (shared with Army due to rain) and 2019. Unfortunately for the Army, it was the sixth time they finished as runners-up in the finals.
Chasing a target of 182 runs set by the Army, the Police achieved victory by losing only 4 wickets in 37.5 overs. Shankar Rana led the charge with an unbeaten half-century, scoring 62 runs off 43 balls. Arjun Saud contributed 36 runs off 58 balls, while Amit Shrestha and Arif Sheikh added 28 and 27 runs, respectively. Shankar Rana sealed the game with a six.
Kushal Malla, Jitendra Mukhia, Shahab Alam and Basir Ahamad took one wicket each for Army.
Army lost the toss and managed to score only 181 runs in 49.5 overs.
Bivek Yadav played a crucial half-century, scoring 63 runs off 81 balls. Opener Imran Sheikh and Sompal Kami contributed 28 and 39 runs, respectively. The eighth-wicket partnership of 59 runs between Sompal Kami and Bivek Yadav was the highest in the innings. Yadav and Jitendra Mukhia shared a 43-run partnership for the tenth wicket.
Army reached a respectable total with Bivek’s contribution, entering the crease when the team was at 69 runs after losing seven wickets.
For the Police, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and captain Dipendra Singh Airee took three wickets each, while Sagar Dhakal, Kushal Bhurtel, and Karan KC secured one wicket each.
Notably, this marked the third final encounter between Army and Police, with Police remaining undefeated in all three instances.
