Karnali Yaks secured their third victory in the ongoing Nepal Premier League (NPL), defeating Pokhara Avengers by 7 wickets in the second match of the day on Tuesday. The result has made it increasingly difficult for Pokhara to maintain their playoff hopes.

Chasing a modest target of 104 runs, Karnali Yaks achieved the target in just 15 overs, losing 3 wickets along the way. Gulshan Jha played a crucial role in the victory, scoring an unbeaten 49 runs off 37 balls, including 3 fours and 4 sixes. William Basisto remained not out on 2 runs.

Chadwick Walton (42) made a valuable contribution, though he was dismissed by Kushal Bhurtel, bowled for 42 runs off 34 balls, including 6 fours and 1 six. Opener Babar Hayat fell early, making just 7 runs before being bowled out by Sagar Dhakal. Dev Khanal also failed to make an impact, dismissed for a duck by Bipin Khatri.

Earlier in the match, Pokhara Avengers, opting to bat after winning the toss, were bowled out for a modest 103 runs in just 16.3 overs. Karnali Yaks’ William Bosisto was the standout bowler, claiming 6 wickets for just 28 runs, leaving Pokhara’s batting line-up in tatters.

Despite a solid start, with Dinesh Kharel and Andreas Gous putting on 46 runs for the first wicket in just 3.5 overs, Pokhara’s middle order crumbled. Kharel made 26 runs before being bowled out by Unish Thakuri, while Gous was dismissed for 25 runs, caught out. From there, the innings fell apart, with William Bosisto taking 3 crucial wickets in the fourth over to reduce Pokhara to 52-5.

Dilip Nath (3), Michael Leask (2), and Narayan Joshi (1) all fell cheaply, and despite late resistance from Raymon Reifer (20) and captain Kushal Bhurtel (10), Pokhara could not recover. Bipin Khatri was run out for 10, leaving no one else to reach double figures.

With this win, Karnali Yaks have now accumulated 6 points from 5 matches, climbing to 4th place on the NPL standings. Their chances of reaching the playoffs are now looking much stronger. Meanwhile, Pokhara Avengers are struggling with just 2 points from 4 matches, sitting 6th on the table, making their path to the playoffs a challenging one.

In a remarkable achievement, William Bosisto became the 4th player in NPL history to take five wickets in a single match, following in the footsteps of Sohail Tanvir, Naren Saud, and Harsh Thaker.