NPL-3: Karnali Yaks beat Janakpur Bolts by 19 runs for winning start

Karnali Yaks opened their Nepal Premier League (NPL) third edition campaign with a 19-run win over Janakpur Bolts. In the match played at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Tuesday, Janakpur, chasing Karnali's target of 133, were bowled out for 113 with 3 balls still remaining.

Having lost the toss and batted first, Karnali scored 132 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Sixteen-year-old Rahul Yadav, picked through Janakpur's talent hunt, took two wickets for 15 runs in four overs on his NPL debut.

In the chase, Janakpur lost 2 wickets for 35 runs in the powerplay. Sompal struck the first blow for Karnali. Lethal bowling from Younis Bikram Thakuri and a strong showing from Hussain Talat put Janakpur under pressure. For Janakpur, Abhishek Tiwari scored 20 off 17 balls, captain Harmeet Singh made 19 off 13 balls, Moeen Ali scored 19 off 22 balls, and Jimmy Neesham added 15 off 14 balls.

Karnali fielded Pakistani all-rounder Talat despite uncertainty after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly demanded $25,000. He scored 3 runs with the bat. Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Sita Badi was also present at the ground to watch the match.