Kathmandu – In the Nepal Premier League, Janakpur Bulls defeated Karnali Yaks by 2 wickets with one over remaining in the second qualifier, securing a spot in the final.
Janakpur will now face Sudurpashchim in the final. This will be the third encounter between Janakpur and Sudurpashchim in the ongoing tournament.
In a thrilling match, Janakpur, under pressure after losing wickets continuously, was revived by Jimmy Neesham, who scored 45 runs from 17 balls, hitting 2 fours and 5 sixes. However, after Neesham was dismissed, Janakpur, still under pressure, managed to secure the victory with 6 balls remaining, thanks to 14 runs from Mayan Yadav and an unbeaten 16 runs from Sher Mall.
Earlier, chasing a target of 119 runs, Janakpur saw contributions of 13 runs from Akash Tripathi and 17 runs from Harsh Thakur. However, the performances of other players were not as solid.
For Karnali, young star Bipin Sharma, who came through the Talent Hunt program, kept the team in the game with a brilliant bowling performance of 3 wickets for 17 runs in 4 overs. Sompal Kami, William Bosisto, and Jason Maksud each took 1 wicket.
Earlier, batting first after losing the toss, Karnali scored 118 runs, losing 9 wickets in the process.
For Karnali, Gulshan Jha top-scored with 25 runs. Besides him, Dev Khanal made 24 runs, while Jason Maksud and Yunis Thakuri scored 12 runs each. William Bosisto was out for 14 runs, and Chadwick Waltz was dismissed for 11 runs. Other players couldn’t reach double figures.
For Janakpur, Lalit Rajbanshi and Mohammad Mohsin each took 2 wickets, while Harsh Thakur, Jimmy Neesham, and Sher Mall each took 1 wicket.