Nepal secured another triumph in the ongoing SMS Friendship Cup in India by outplaying Baroda, winning by a margin of 27 runs on Tuesday, marking their second consecutive victory in the tournament.
Baroda, chasing a target of 157 runs, fell short managing only 129 runs, losing all their wickets in 20 overs. Bhanu Pania, representing Baroda, emerged as the top scorer with 36 runs, including three sixes, while Captain Vishnu Solanki contributed 25 runs with two fours in 32 balls. Baba Khan added 27 runs with two boundaries and two sixes in 18 balls. Despite Baroda’s initial struggle at 22-5, Bhanu and Vishnu steered the team with a partnership of 53 runs for the sixth wicket.
Karan KC claimed 3 wickets, conceding 24 runs in 4 overs, while Sompal Kami took 2 wickets, giving away 20 runs in 4 overs. Abinash Bohara, Gulshan Jha, and Dipendra Singh Airee also contributed with 2, 1, and 1 wicket respectively.
In the first innings, Nepal, batting first, set a target of 156 runs, losing 6 wickets in 20 overs. Kushal Malla top-scored for Nepal with 40 runs, including 3 fours and 2 sixes, off 25 balls. Sandeep Jora contributed 29 runs with two fours and a six off 16 balls. A partnership of 47 runs between Sandeep and Kushal, when Nepal was at 82-5 in 12.5 overs, led to a competitive total.
Opener Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel were dismissed for 9 runs each. Anil Kumar Shah hit 25 runs with 2 fours and 1 six in 27 balls, while Captain Rohit Paudel scored 18 runs in 13 balls, and Gulshan Jha was out for 13 runs. For Baroda, Baba Khan took 2 wickets, while Mohit Mongia and Parikshit Patadar grabbed 1 wicket each.
Earlier, Nepal had defeated Gujarat by 8 wickets in their first match, while Gujarat had defeated Baroda by 5 wickets. Nepal is scheduled to play against Gujarat on Wednesday and Baroda on Friday, with the final set to take place on Sunday.
