Chitwan Rhinos defeated Biratnagar Kings by eight runs in the second match of Nepal Premier League (NPL) season 3 at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Tuesday, defending a target of 158 after Biratnagar were dismissed for 149 in 19.3 overs. David Malan led Chitwan’s innings with 70 runs, while Kamal Singh Airee took four wickets to help secure the result. The Gorkhapatra Online match report also reported the eight-run victory.
Malan anchors Chitwan’s innings
Biratnagar won the toss and chose to bowl first, according to Ratopati’s report. Chitwan made 157 for three in its allotted 20 overs, setting Biratnagar a target of 158. Malan was the leading scorer, making 70, while captain Ravi Bopara contributed 32. Their scores gave Chitwan two important contributions in an innings that ended with three wickets down.
Malan’s 70 accounted for the largest individual score reported for Chitwan, and Bopara’s 32 added support as the side built its total. Chitwan finished at 157, leaving Biratnagar needing to score at an average of 7.9 runs an over across its 20 overs to win. The target was within reach for the chasing side, but Biratnagar could not complete the pursuit before losing all its wickets.
Airee leads the defence
Biratnagar’s chase ended at 149 in 19.3 overs. Imran Sheikh top-scored for the Kings with 39, while Andre Russell made 33. Those were the leading individual scores noted in the match summary, but the side was ultimately bowled out 8 runs short of Chitwan’s total. The innings ended three balls before the full 20 overs had been completed.
Kamal Singh Airee claimed four wickets for Chitwan, the most prominent bowling contribution reported from the match. His four-wicket haul helped restrict Biratnagar to 149 and played a central part in defending the target. The available match details do not specify the other wicket-takers or the sequence in which the wickets fell, but the final score meant Chitwan held the advantage through the closing stages of the chase.
A close finish in the NPL
The eight-run margin reflected a contest in which Biratnagar’s reply came close to, but did not reach, the 158 required. Chitwan’s total of 157 for three stood against the Kings’ 149 all out, with the wickets lost and the remaining balls in the innings determining the result. Chitwan’s batting leaders and Airee’s four wickets were the main individual performances reported from the match.
The fixture was the second match of the third NPL season and took place at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. A Nepal Press preview listed the Chitwan Rhinos-Biratnagar Kings match among the day’s NPL fixtures. Chitwan emerged with the win after batting first and defending its total, while Biratnagar’s chase fell short despite contributions from Sheikh and Russell.
