Kirtipur, Nepal: The Lumbini province team pulled off a nail-biting four-wicket victory against Gandaki Pradesh in their opening match of Thursday’s Prime Minister’s Cup Women’s Twenty20 national cricket tournament.

 Lumbini chased down the target of 103 runs with four wickets in hand. Lakshmi Chaudhary anchored the chase with a superb 42 runs, finding able support from captain Saraswati Gharti Magar’s 12-run contribution.

Gandaki opted to bat first after winning the toss and reached 102 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Suman Khatiwada’s unbeaten 33, Anjali Bishwakarma’s 30 and Srijana Paudel’s 19 formed the backbone of Gandaki’s innings.

Shrishti Jaisi took two wickets for Gandaki, while Kushum Godar and Suman Khatiwada chipped in with one each. Lumbini’s bowling attack saw Madhu DC, Saraswati Pun, and Kamala Gharti Magar share the spoils with a wicket apiece.

The win marks a strong start for Lumbini in the tournament, showcasing their resilience and ability to chase down targets. Gandaki must tighten their bowling and fielding despite putting up a fighting score to challenge the stronger teams.

This opening match, along with the other results from Thursday – APF’s dominant 9-wicket win over Sudurpaschim, Bagmati’s 28-run victory against Madhesh, and Koshi’s comprehensive 10-wicket thrashing of Karnali Pradesh – sets the stage for an exciting and competitive tournament ahead.