Spinner’s Outstanding Performance Leads Gandaki Province to Historic PM Cup Victory

March 29, Kathmandu – The Gandaki Province cricket team secured a historic victory in the PM Cup by defeating the departmental team APF Club at the Tallo Mulapani cricket ground.

For the first time in PM Cup history, Gandaki overcame a departmental team, successfully winning by 43 runs. Due to poor ground conditions caused by rain, the match was reduced to 21 overs.

To overcome the APF team, which included national captain Rohit Paudel and other international players, Gandaki’s spinners delivered a brilliant performance, complemented by solid contributions from the batsmen.

Batsmen Gaurav Bik, Deepak Dumre, Arjun Kumal, and captain Bipin Khatri played significant innings. The 150-run total in this T20-like format proved challenging for APF.

From the outset, the spin bowlers made a strong impact, dismantling APF’s top order. Unbeaten Rohit Paudel and Sibrin Shrestha exerted pressure at the top. All-rounder Subash Bhandari also delivered an impressive bowling spell, not giving APF any chance.

Left-arm spinner and captain Bipin Khatri played a key role in defeating the departmental APF team. Unbeaten Paudel was named ‘Man of the Match’.

Captain Bipin Khatri described the victory as extremely significant, saying, “Our players had confidence in handling the challenge. We performed well across all units. Playing in the T20 format helped us stay composed today.”

He added, “We wanted to carry a win before heading to Madhesh Province. This victory boosts our confidence for upcoming matches and we will make even better decisions moving forward.”

Dominance of Spin Bowling Overwhelms APF Batting

In the 21-over match, APF opened with Lokesh Bam and Asif. However, Lokesh was dismissed after 9 balls for 14 runs by unbeaten spinner Paudel.

Asif, who scored a century in the first game, was also sent back for 14 runs by Paudel. Meanwhile, captain Rohit was bowled by Sibrin Shrestha.

Earlier openers Deepak Bohara and Sandip Jora were dismissed cheaply for 6 and 8 runs respectively by Paudel and Sibrin, causing APF’s innings to collapse at 47-5.

Later players Yuvraj Khatri scored 7 runs before Amar Singh Rautela was out without scoring, leaving the team at 61-7. Although Sumit Maharjan briefly steadied the innings, Kamal Singh Airy scored 17 and Sumit 22 before being dismissed.

Gandaki’s Paudel bowled 5 overs conceding 31 runs and took 3 wickets. Sibrin took 3 wickets for 25 runs in 4 overs, Subash Bhandari took 2 wickets, and captain Bipin claimed 1 wicket.

After the match, Paudel expressed his happiness at contributing to the win. He said, “We planned to control the key big-hitting batsmen and executed our bowling well, succeeding in that mission.”

He added, “We had many spinners and players with NPL experience, which boosted our morale to secure the victory.”

Paudel also expressed his ambition to continue performing well and help the team qualify for the upcoming Jai Trophy tournament.

Captain Bipin said, “Knowing that the ball was stopping and turning, we chose to use the spinners from the start. According to the plan, Paudel and Sibrin delivered an excellent performance.”

Gandaki’s Strong Batting Display

Due to rain, play started late with the ground at Tallo Mulapani still drying, and the match was reduced to 21 overs. Winning the toss, Gandaki elected to bat first.

Openers Gaurav Bik and Arjun Kumal provided a solid start. Although Gaurav was dismissed for 37 and Arjun for 25, they laid a good foundation for the innings.

Deepak Dumre contributed 34, captain Bipin Khatri remained unbeaten with 20 runs, and Dinesh Budhamagar scored 19, helping Gandaki compile a total of 150 runs.

Captain Bipin noted that the overcast conditions favored their ability to defend the total. “Being players from Pokhara, we are accustomed to playing in such conditions. We believed we could defend a good total,” he said.

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With this victory, Gandaki registered their first win in the tournament, earning 3 points from 4 matches and climbing from the bottom to 8th position. APF also has 3 points from 4 matches, sitting in 7th place.

All remaining PM Cup matches will be held in Madhesh Province. So far, only Tribhuvan Army Club and Madhesh Province remain unbeaten as teams. Army leads the points table with 7 points from 4 matches, including 3 wins.

Police hold second place with 5 points from 4 matches, while Madhesh Province follows in third, also with 5 points but a lower net run rate. Sudurpaschim is fourth with 4 points from 3 matches, while Lumbini and Karnali share fifth and sixth places with 3 points each.

Bagmati is in ninth place with 2 points from 4 matches, with 1 win, and Koshi is at the bottom with 1 point from 4 matches.