Nepal Defeats Karnataka by 116 Runs in Practice Match, Bundling Them Out for 72
Summary of the News
- The Nepal cricket team, preparing for the ACC Premier Cup, secured a 116-run victory against Karnataka in their first practice match in India.
- Batting first, Nepal was all out for 188 runs in 45 overs, with Asif Sheikh top-scoring at 49 runs.
- Karnataka was bowled out for just 72 runs in 28 overs, with Karan KC taking 2 wickets, and Lalit Rajwanshi, Sher Malla, and Basir Ahmad each taking 2 wickets.
September 18, Kathmandu – The Nepal national cricket team, currently in India prepping for the ACC Premier Cup, achieved a thrilling 116-run win in their first practice match against Karnataka.
Chasing the target of 189 set by Nepal, the Karnataka lineup was bowled out for just 72 runs in 28 overs. Sharath Srinivas top-scored for Karnataka with 32 runs off 65 balls, including 3 fours. Revanth Bairi contributed 10 runs, and Santosh Singh added 9 runs.
Other Karnataka batsmen were dismissed cheaply: Lochan Gouda scored 2 runs, Tushar Singh and Samarth Srinivas were out for ducks. Sanjay Ashwin managed 1 run, Ritesh Bhatkal 6, Sagar Gautam 0, Kirti M 3, and Aditya Goyal 6 before returning to the pavilion.
Nepal’s bowlers delivered an excellent performance. Karan KC took 2 wickets conceding just 9 runs in 5 overs. Lalit Rajwanshi, Sher Malla, and Basir Ahmad each claimed 2 wickets, while Sandeep Lamichhane took 1 wicket.
Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal was all out for 188 runs in the allotted 45 overs.
Asif Sheikh top-scored for Nepal with 49 runs, compiled off 70 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Opener Dev Khanal made 27 runs off 43 balls including 5 fours, and Ishan Pande contributed 34 runs from 49 balls with 3 fours.
Sandeep Jora scored 27 runs off 37 balls with 2 fours, while Basir Ahmad finished not out on 19 runs off 27 balls. Gulshan Jale added 11 runs from 16 balls.
Rohit Paudel scored 4 runs off 8 balls before being dismissed. Karan KC was out for a duck in 7 balls, Sandeep Lamichhane made 2 runs off 7 balls, and Sher Malla scored 1 run from 2 balls.
Nepal’s start was shaky as Arjun Kamal was out for a duck after facing just 4 balls. However, Asif, Dev, and Ishan steadied the innings, guiding the team to a competitive total.
Kirti M of Karnataka excelled with the ball, taking 5 wickets for 20 runs in 8 overs. Aditya Goyal, Arvind Kumar Rai, Chirant Shivrudra, Sagar Gautam, and Samarth Srinivas each took one wicket.
This practice match against Karnataka is part of Nepal’s preparations ahead of the ACC Premier Cup.