Kailali, Magh 20 | On the second day of the Arjun Trophy National Cricket Tournament, CYC Attariya and DCA Dhangadi emerged victorious. CYC Attariya started with a win, defeating DC Baitadi by 26 runs.
In the first match at the Fapla International Cricket Ground in Dhangadhi, DCA Baitadi won the toss and elected to bowl first. CYC Attariya scored 164 runs for 3 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Attariya’s captain, Bhim Sarki, played a brilliant knock, scoring 70 runs off 33 balls, including 4 sixes and 6 fours. Tripuraj Das contributed 30 runs, while Shankar Rana scored 25 runs, and Bibek Yadav remained unbeaten with 25 runs from 17 balls. For Baitadi, Amar Singh Routela claimed 2 wickets, and Rupesh Singh took 1 wicket.
Chasing a target of 165 runs, Baitadi was restricted to 138 runs for 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Himal Daulyal top-scored for Baitadi with 39 runs, while Basant Khatri made 23 runs, and Sumit Badal added 18 runs, but it was not enough to secure the win. Bibek Yadav was the star for CYC Attariya, taking 4 wickets. Sahab Alam and Kamal Gupta took 2 wickets each, while Dipesh Kandel claimed 1 wicket.
Bibek Yadav was named the Novajivan Sahakari Sanstha Player of the Match, earning a cash prize of 10,000 and a trophy for his all-round performance (25 runs and 4 wickets).
In the second match at Fapla International Cricket Ground, DCA Dhangadi registered their first win. After losing to Dadeldhura in their first match, DCA Dhangadi defeated GG-11 Sukhad by 69 runs. Opting to bat first, DCA Dhangadi scored 149 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Raju Rizal top-scored with 37 runs off 27 balls, while Lokesh Bam made 31 runs, Abhishek Pal scored 28, and captain Narayan Joshi contributed 19 runs from 9 balls. For GG-11, Dharmaraj Joshi took 3 wickets, and Naren Saud claimed 2 wickets.
Chasing 150 runs, GG-11 was bowled out for 80 runs in 16.5 overs. Tek Rawat scored 18 runs, and Deepak Tamata made 13 runs, but the rest of the batsmen failed to make significant contributions. DCA Dhangadi’s Lalit Rajbanshi was the standout bowler, taking 3 wickets. Milan Bohora and Rahul Bhandari each took 2 wickets. Lalit Rajbanshi was named the Novajivan Sahakari Sanstha Player of the Match, receiving a cash prize of 10,000 and a trophy.
The tournament will feature two matches tomorrow. The first match will be between Friends Youth Club Dadeldhura and Boston Cricket Jhapa, while the second match will see CYC Attariya facing Cricket Excellence Center Kathmandu. The competition is part of the Nepal Cricket Association’s annual calendar and will run until Magh 28.
The tournament, dedicated to the late Arjun Khadka, a pillar of cricket in Dhangadhi and Sudurpashchim Province, will reward the winner with a cash prize of 1 million rupees and the runner-up with 500,000 rupees, along with a trophy. The Best Player of the Tournament will receive a cash prize of 100,000 rupees, while the Best Batsman, Best Bowler, and Emerging Player will each be awarded 50,000 rupees. The Player of the Match in each game will receive a cash prize of 10,000 rupees.
A total of 8 club teams from across the country are participating in the tournament. The teams are divided into two groups, with the group stages followed by knockout rounds. Group A consists of DCA Dhangadi, Friends Youth Club Dadeldhura, GG-11 Sukhad, and Boston Cricket Jhapa, while Group B features CYC Attariya, Cricket Excellence Center Kathmandu, New Horizon Butwal, and Dasharath Chand Academy Baitadi