Kathmandu Gurkhas bounced back from their opening loss to defeat Karnali Yaks by three wickets in a last over thriller in the Nepal Premier League T20 cricket tournament at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Wednesday.

Biratnagar Kings also registered their first victory after winning a nail-biting thriller against Lumbini Lions by two wickets, also at the same venue.

Karan KC sparks Kathmandu’s victory

Chasing 150 for victory, Kathmandu reached 153-7 with three balls to spare, thanks to a blistering cameo from Karan KC, who smashed 28 runs off just 10 balls to turn the match on its head.

Kathmandu appeared to be staring at a second loss of the tournament when Shankar Rana (6), Stephen Eskinazi (3) and Bhim Sharki (9) departed without making any significant contributions.

In between, Michael Levitt’s 22 off 19 had offered some stability, helping Kathmandu limp to 41-4 in 7.1 overs.

But it was a 57-run partnership from Gerhard Erasmus and Sumit Maharjan for the fifth wicket that brought Kathmandu’s innings back on track.

After Namibian allrounder Erasmus fell to Gulsan Jha scoring 38 runs off 28 balls, KC’s explosive knock tilted the balance in Kathmandu’s favour.

Karan KC fell in the last ball of the penultimate over, brilliantly caught by Dev Khanal off Sompal Kami, which left Kathmandu needing six runs off the final six balls.

Kathmandu also owed the victory to Maharjan. The right-handed batter, who anchored the innings with 40 not out off 37 balls, then delivered under pressure with two boundaries off Nandan Yadav to seal the win.

Erasmus took two wickets for Kathmandu, while KC, Nathan Sowter and Dipesh Kandep pocketed one wicket each.

Earlier, Karnali, after being invited to bat first, posted 149-5 from the 20 overs, driven by an unbeaten half-century from Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan.

Opener Dhawan had failed to live up to the billing in his previous outing. But, against Kathmandu, Dhawan cracked 72 runs off 51 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes.

Chadwick Walton (21), Babar Hayat (13), Gulsan Jha (12) assisted Dhawan, while Zeeshan Maqsood played 14 not out to ensure a competitive total.

Bam, Sole stars for Biratnagar

In the late action, Biratnagar chased down Lumbini’s daunting 192-run target with just one ball to spare, reaching 193-8, thanks to opener Lokesh Bam’s composed 47-ball 71 and a breathtaking finish from Scottish Chris Sole (14 runs off just four balls).

Chasing a challenging target of 194 runs, Biratnagar suffered an early blow when they lost their opener Ismat Alam for a duck in the first over.

Bam and Martin Guptill put on a 62-run stand for the second wicket to steady the ship.

Biratnagar lost Guptill for 28 and faced subsequent setbacks that saw Rajesh Pulami (4) and Nicholas Kirton (0) depart in quick succession.

But Bam kept calm and forged another crucial 77-run stand with Basir Ahamad, who scored 40 off 23, to keep the chase alive.

Durgesh Gupta (3-21) struck back to break the partnership by removing Ahamad in the 16.2 overs and Ramon Simmonds ended Bam’s resistance in the 17.4 overs to break the momentum.

Gupta removed Pratis GC (6) in the 18.2 overs and Bibek Yadav sent back captain Sandeep Lamichhane (1) in the 19.1 overs, leaving Biratnagar still needing 14 runs off the last four balls.

But Sole stepped up with a stunning six and two boundaries off Yadav to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Simmonds and Bin Zafar claimed two wickets each for Lumbini and Yadav took one.

It was Biratnagar’s first victory after losing their previous matches to Janakpur Bolts (by eight wickets) and Sudurpaschim (by 90 runs).

Earlier, Lumbini, playing their first match and sent in to bat first, posted a formidable 191-7, thanks to a collective batting effort.

Paudel led the charge with a 43-ball 50 and a 67-run stand with Tom Moores, who played 30 off 17 balls.

Contributions from Sundeep Jora (12 off 13), Saad Bin Zafar (15 off 13) and a late blitz from Yadav (19 off 7 balls) helped Lumbini set a challenging target.

Lamichhane, Alam and Rajesh Pulami took one wicket apiece for Biratnagar.