Skipper Rohit Paudel led from the front with all-round performance from both bat and ball for Lumbini Lions in match number 16 of the Nepal Premier League against Chitwan Rhinos at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. After playing a captain’s knock of 80 runs with the bat, Rohit scalped four wickets with his bowling as Lumbini Lions won the match by 33 runs.
Coming to bat, Lumbini Lions didn’t get a great start as they lost four wickets for 49 runs in 7.5 overs. Rohit Paudel and Saad Bin Zafar took charge of the inning as the duo added 114 runs before the fall of the fifth wicket. Rohit got out after scoring 80 runs off 57 balls with six fours and five sixes, while Zafar got out on the last ball of the innings after a knock of 52(35) runs with four fours and a maximum. Lumbini Lions ended up posting 167/6 in their 20 overs. For Chitwan Rhinos, Rijan Dhakal took three wickets, while Kushal Malla and Ranjit Kumar scalped a wicket each.
Rohit Paudel register figures of 4/17 as Lumbini Lions register convincing win
While defending a total of 167 runs, Rohit Paudel shone with the ball again and registered figures of 4/17. Chasing a target, Chitwan Rhinos had a disastrous start as they lost three wickets for just 16 runs in 3.1 overs. After that, Luc Benkenstein and Ravi Bopara added 42 runs for the fourth wicket. Benkenstein top scored with a knock of 31(29) runs. Apart from that, none of the other batter could score big as Chitwan Rhinos were restricted as 134/8, with Nar Sarki remained unbeaten on 22*(12) runs.
Along with Rohit Paudel’s four-wicket haul, Ramon Simmonds took two wickets by conceding 22 runs in four overs, while Saad Bin Zafar and Abhishesh Gautam scalped a wicket each. With this, Lumbini Lions have finally opened their account in the ongoing Nepal Premier League after four consecutive losses. They have now jumped to the fifth position in the points table with one win in five matches.
