In the curtain-raiser of the KP Oli Cup Twenty20 tournament, Bagmati Province flexed their muscles with a resounding 109-run victory over Madan Bhandari Sports Academy Red at the Pokhara stadium.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Bagmati amassed a competitive 185 runs in their allotted 20 overs despite losing seven wickets. Rit Gautam took centre stage with a blistering 74-run knockoff with 53 deliveries, studded with eight fours and three sixes. Shubh Kansakar contributed a valuable 27, while skipper Sandeep Lamichhan and Gaurav Khadka chipped in with handy contributions of 18 and 17 runs, respectively. The seventh-wicket partnership between Rit and Gaurav, worth 56 runs, proved to be the cornerstone of Bagmati’s innings.

In reply, Madan Bhandari faced a daunting chase and was restricted to a paltry 75 runs in 14.2 overs. Bijay Prajapati and captain Amar Mishra scored 13 runs, while Santosh Yadav and Nirmal Thapa contributed 12 and 10 runs, respectively. Bagmati’s bowling attack was spearheaded by captain Sandeep Lamichhan, who bagged four wickets, ably supported by Subas Khatri with three wickets and Pratish GC and Rijan Dhakal with two and one wicket(s) each.
Bagmati Province’s comprehensive victory showcased their dominance in both batting and bowling, setting a high benchmark for their opponents in the tournament.