Captain Anil Shah’s unbeaten knock of 62 runs guided Janakpur Bolts to their second consecutive victory in the Nepal Premier League (NPL). The Bolts had defeated Biratnagar Kings by 8 wickets in their opening match and secured a similar result in their second game against Karnali Yaks.
Chasing a target of 142 set by Karnali, Janakpur achieved the target in just 15.1 overs with 2 wickets down. Opening batsman Anil faced 42 balls, smashing 6 fours and 3 sixes during his unbeaten innings.
Anil laid the foundation for the win with an 84-run opening stand alongside Asif Sheikh, who contributed 36 runs off 29 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes. For the second wicket, Anil partnered with Lahiru Milantha to add 33 runs. Milantha, who had scored a half-century in the previous game against Biratnagar, scored 24 runs off 13 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes.
James Neesham added an unbeaten 16 runs off 8 balls, hitting 2 fours and a six. For Karnali, Mousom Dhakal and Zeeshan Maqsood picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat, Karnali Yaks posted 141 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Gulshan Jha top-scored for Karnali with 36 runs off 27 balls, including 1 four and 3 sixes. Arjun Gharti chipped in with 33 runs off 22 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes, while captain Sompal Kami scored 29 runs off 13 balls with 3 fours and a six. Indian star batsman Shikhar Dhawan managed only 14 runs off 14 balls, hitting 3 fours before being bowled by Canada’s Harsh Thaker. Babar Hayat struggled with a slow knock of 12 runs off 25 balls. A crucial 56-run stand for the seventh wicket helped Karnali recover after being reduced to 79/6.
For Janakpur Bolts, leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin impressed with figures of 2 wickets for 14 runs in 4 overs. Kishore Mahato, Lalit Rajbanshi, Harsh Thaker, and James Neesham took one wicket each.
