Janakpur Bolts registered their first win of the third season of the Nepal Premier League, defeating Kathmandu Gorkhas by eight wickets in Thursday’s opening match.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Gorkhas were bowled out for 115 in 19.3 overs. Rahul Yadav, the 17-year-old star, led the bowling attack with four wickets.
Yadav dismissed Kathmandu openers Sam Heazlett (1 off 3) and Smit Patel (13 off 13), as well as Karan KC (8 off 18) and Md Adil Alam (0 off 1). KC and Alam fell in quick succession.
Bhim Sharki top-scored for the Gorkhas with 33 off 29 balls, followed by Rashid Khan, who made 17 off 14.
Saif Hassan took two wickets, while Moeen Ali, Harmeet Singh and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi claimed one each.
In reply, the Gorkhas made a promising start with the ball, dismissing Trit Raj Das (5 off 5) and Mayan Yadav (9 off 10) during the powerplay. However, they failed to take another wicket.
Moeen Ali and Saif Hassan then guided the Bolts to victory with an unbeaten partnership.
Ali remained unbeaten on 58 off 51 balls, while Hassan scored 40 off 39. Hassan had earlier survived a caught-behind decision after it was overturned because the delivery was a no-ball.
Yadav was named player of the match.
It was the Gorkhas’ first match of the season. They face Karnali on Monday, while Janakpur will play their third match against Pokhara on Sunday.
Nayak Paudel covers sports for The Kathmandu Post. He previously worked at the Post (2018–19) and spent over five years at The Rising Nepal. His reporting spans crime, health, education, and social issues.
