Nepal EPL Twenty20: Lalitpur Patriots Wins First Match Against Kathmandu Kings

The inaugural match of Nepal’s Twenty20 cricket, EPL Twenty20, saw Lalitpur Patriots’ grand victory against its rival Kathmandu Kings XI.

Lalitpur Patriots, which won the toss, chose to bowl first and started thrashing the opposition’s batting order right from the start of the innings.

Claiming a total of seven wickets together, Lalitpur Patriots’ bowlers Suboth Bhati (India) and Nepali U-19 slow left-arm bowler Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi limited Kathmandu Kings’ batting performance to just 89 runs.

While Bhati took four wickets, veteran bowler Mahaboob Alam claimed two wickets followed by an Indian right arm off-break bowler Yogesh Nagar who took a single.

Amit Shrestha, the Top-Scorer

Even though Lalitpur Patriots saw a slow start with loss of its opener Pawan Sarraf’s wicket in the very first over, the team’s batting order sustained with batsman Amit Shrestha’s top performance for 27 runs and Sri Lankan player Akshu Fernanado’s 15-run score.

Jaykishan Kolsawala of India and captain Gyanendra Malla made a 57-run partnership driving the Lalitpur Patriots to success.

While Kathmandu Kings has former Sri Lankan one-day international player Farveez Maharoof as its captain and Akshu Fernando of Sri Lanka and Sagar Kumar of India as squads, Lalitpur Patriots roped in Indian cricketers Delhi Daredevils player Yogesh Nagar, Subod Bhati and Jaykishan Kolsawala in its squad.

The match was held at the Tribhuvan University (TU) Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on December 18, 2017.

The second day of the tournament on December 19, 2017 will see Chitwan Tigers Vs. Pokhara Rhinos playing the first match, followed by Biratnagar Warriors Vs. Lalitpur Patriots playing the second.