RECAP
Follow UsIt's two in two for the Chitwan Rhinos in the inaugural edition of the Nepal Premier League. In the battle of the Kushals, it was Malla and not Bhurtel, who emerged on top, and in doing so, the Rhinos have registered yet another comprehensive victory in the tournament.
Let's take a closer look at how things unfolded:
Rhinos falter in powerplay
Hassan Eisakhil (14), Deepak Bohora (2), and Luc Benkenstein (16) all fell in the powerplay to give the Pokhara Avengers an ideal start in the first six overs. Despite the loss of three wickets, the Rhinos put up 50 on the board.
Also Read - Play straight and runs will come: Nabi's advice to son Hassan Eisakhil
Malla, Bopara resurrect innings
After losing three wickets in the powerplay, it required a big partnership to ensure that the Rhinos got a formidable total on the board.
That came from the bats of skipper Kusal Malla (38) and Ravi Bopara (51), who put on 68 off 48 deliveries to bring the Rhinos back into the contest. Bopara also scored the Rhinos' first-ever fifty in NPL.
Avengers pull things back
After the partnership was broken, the Avengers pulled things back to a certain extent, allowing the Rhinos to score only a further 47 off the 40, restricting them to 161/7. They would have taken that after the Malla-Bopara stand threatened a lot more.
The Dhakal-Tanvir show
The Rhinos ran away with the match in the first over itself, as Sohail Tanvir picked up three wickets to reduce the opposition to 4/3, and like he did against the Kathmandu Gurkhas, Tanvir struck off the very first ball of his spell and added two more in the next five deliveries. Fellow left-arm pacer Rijan Dhakal too did the same, as he removed Dinesh Kharel, Kiran Thagunna and Michael Leask in the fourth over.
At the end of the powerplay, Pokhara's score read a shambolic 16/6, which put them well and truly out of the contest. It was an all-time low batting display from the Avengers in NPL history.
Finishing touches
Despite having a firm grip on the match, the Rhinos continued to be relentless as they managed to register a massive 87-wicket victory in the end.
The partnership between Matt Critchley and Narayan Joshi (30) and between Joshi and Bipin Khatri (27) frustrated the Rhinos a bit, but in the end, they put in a professional show and got the job done easily.
Unlike the previous three matches in NPL 2024, today, both matches saw the team batting first go on to win. Earlier today, the Sudurpaschim Royals beat Biratnagar Kings by 90 runs after scoring 182.
You can make your fantasy team for all Chitwan Rhinos matches and also for other matches in the NPL 2024 right here on Cricket.com. Download the app now.
