Janakpur Bolts continued their unbeaten run in the Nepal Premier League T20 cricket tournament as they overcame Lumbini Lions by one run in a nail-biting last-ball thriller at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Sunday.

Defending a modest 136, Janakpur narrowly held off Lumbini’s pursuit, restricting them to 135-8, with Canadian allrounder Harsh Thaker emerging as the hero to deliver a sensational final over to deny Sundeep Jora the winning run in the morning.

Thaker returned astonishing match figures of 5-23 in his magical four-over spell that also included the key wickets of skipper Rohit Paudel (35 off 38), Tom Moores (31 off 23), Bibek Yadav (0) and Saad Bin Zafar (0).

The clash reached its climax with Lumbini needing just two runs off the final ball.

Jora, who had brought Lumbini tantalisingly close hammering 13 runs off Kishore Mahato in the 19th over, should have overhauled the target or at least collected a run to push the match into the Super Over.

Instead, the wicketkeeper-batter attempted an ambitious boundary (or six) and was caught in the deep by Kishore Mahato after Thaker top-edged him.

Jora had earlier escaped a run-out on the penultimate ball and was offered a chance to give Lumbini their first victory due to a misfield by Sher Malla but fell heartbreakingly short.

Earlier, Anil Sah and Aasif Sheikh added 48 runs for the opening wicket to give Janakpur a strong start after being invited to bat first.

Sheikh fell to Zafar (2-11) in the 5.3 overs after scoring 16 runs off 10 balls.

Sah then partnered with Lahiru Milantha to share a 47-run partnership for the second wicket to continue the momentum.

However, Lumbini’s bowlers hit back hard as Janakpur lost six wickets for just 15 runs, thanks to Abhishesh Gautam’s triple strike and two crucial scalps from skipper Paudel.

A late cameo from Shubh Kansakar (22 not out off 24) ensured Janakpur post 136-9.

The outcome gave Janakpur a fourth victory on the trot and helped them reclaim the top spot with eight points.

Meanwhile, Lumbini’s fourth consecutive loss leaves them rooted at the bottom of the eight-team table, still searching for their first win.

Missed chance

Sudurpaschim missed their chance to go level on points with Janakpur after Chitwan Rhinos inflicted them their first loss of the tournament, winning by 33 runs later in the afternoon.

Chasing 165 for win, Sudupraschim crumbled under pressure and were bowled out for 131.

Sudurpaschim started their innings aggressively, with Saif Zaib cracking three fours in a quickfire 18 off 11 balls.

Sudurpaschim’s troubles began when Rijan Dhakal (2-33) dismissed Zaib in the last ball of the second over.

Binod Bhandari and Brandon McMullen tried to stabilise the innings but Kushal Malla (2-18) dismantled their efforts, removing both batters in the fifth over to leave Sudurpaschim teetering at 45-3.

Aarif Sheikh also departed cheaply for four, trapped lbw by Ranjit Kumar.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton then inflicted critical damage, dismissing Dilpreet Dajwa (12) and Dipendra Singh Airee (1) to reduce Sudurpaschim to 73-6.

Ishan Pandey’s spirited 35 runs off 28 balls pushed the chase past the 100-run mark but Amar Routela halted the progress with a double strike in the 16th over, dispatching Naresh Budayair (5) and Pandey.

A late effort from Naren Saud (10 off 8) and Scott Kuggeleijn (16 off 10) provided some hope but Dhakal’s catch-and-bowl dismissal of Saud and Tanvir’s lbw to Kuggeleijn sealed the game for Chitwan.

Earlier, a half-century from Hassan Eisakhil helped Chitwan, who opted to bat first, post 164-5 from their 20 overs.

Eisakhil steadied the innings with a well-crafted 65 off 52 balls after the early loss of opener Santosh Karki (9).

Bipin Rawan supported Eisakhil with 17 off 20 in their 50-run stand, and Malla later assisted him with 13 off 16.

Kuggeleijn removed both Rawal, Eisakhil and Malla to halt the progress.

But Ravi Bopara added late fireworks with a blistering 36 off 18 to propel Chitwan to a competitive total.

The result places Chitwan third in the standings, tied on points with Sudurpaschim, who remain in second place despite their defeat.