Janakpur Bolts beat Kathmandu Gorkhaz by eight wickets for first NPL win
Janakpur Bolts beat Kathmandu Gorkhaz by eight wickets in Kirtipur on Thursday for their first win of the NPL's third season, with Moeen Ali unbeaten on 58 and Rahul Yadav taking four wickets.
Janakpur Bolts secured their first victory in the third season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Thursday, defeating Kathmandu Gorkhaz by eight wickets at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur. According to Neplays and Hamro Khelkud, the Bolts reached the target of 116 runs in 17.2 overs for the loss of two wickets.
Dominant performance
Kathmandu Gorkhaz won the toss and chose to bat, but were bowled out for 115 with three balls of their innings left. Middle-order batter Bhim Sarki top-scored for Kathmandu with 33 off 29 balls, Hamro Khelkud reported. Rahul Yadav led Janakpur's bowling with four wickets for 31 runs. Saif Hassan took two wickets for 11, and Moeen Ali, Harmeet Singh and Lalit Rajbanshi took one each.
In reply, Moeen Ali made an unbeaten 58 off 51 balls and Saif Hassan finished 40 not out, the pair adding an unbroken 79 for the third wicket to see Janakpur home. The win, Janakpur's first points of the season, came in their second match: they lost their opener to Karnali Yaks by 19 runs, according to Hamro Khelkud.
Sixes for Her Future
Off the field, the team is backing "Sixes for Her Future", a campaign led by Janakpur Bolts youth ambassador Dr. Sarisha Shrestha to support the education of economically disadvantaged girls in Madhesh Province. Under the scheme, Rs 2,000 is pledged for every wicket the Bolts take and every six they hit in designated NPL matches. Hamro Khelkud and Neplays reported that the campaign raised Rs 28,000 from the team's opening match, in which Janakpur took nine wickets and hit five sixes.
The Arksh Group, the campaign's supporting sponsor, has set up an initial education fund of Rs 150,000. The campaign aims to help at least 10 girls with costs such as school uniforms, books and supplies, examination fees and transport, according to Neplays. Organisers plan to work with local schools or non-governmental organisations to identify the students and follow their schooling.