Lumbini and Madhesh Province to Clash in Fifth Gaidakot Mayor's Cup T-20 Cricket Final

Nawalparasi. The final match for the title of the Fifth Gaidakot Mayor's Cup National T-20 Cricket Tournament, currently underway in Gaidakot, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat-Sustapurba), will be contested between Lumbini and Madhesh Province. Lumbini and Madhesh Province have secured their places in the final scheduled for today at the Navajagaran Sports Ground in Gaidakot-9.

In the semi-final competitions held on Monday, Lumbini Province and Madhesh Province will face each other for the title clash after eliminating the host Gaidakot Mayor's XI and Sudurpashchim Province, respectively. In the first semi-final match, Lumbini Province secured its place in the final by defeating the host Gaidakot Mayor's XI by 44 runs. Batting first after losing the toss, Lumbini scored 181 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Chasing a target of 182 runs set by Lumbini, Gaidakot Mayor's XI managed only 137 runs, losing all wickets in 19.5 overs.

Captain Dev Khanal played a half-century inning for Lumbini's victory. He scored 74 runs with the support of six sixes and five fours off 50 balls. Similarly, Prajwal Thapa contributed 38 runs with three sixes and two fours off 19 balls, Samrat Bhusal scored 27 runs with one six and three fours off 23 balls, and Dipesh Roka added 15 runs with one six and one four off 10 balls, while other batters failed to score in double digits.

In bowling, Mayor's XI bowler Chandrakant Poudel took four wickets for 20 runs in four overs but could not save the team from defeat. Gautam KC took three wickets, and Aparajit Poudel took one wicket. For Gaidakot Mayor's XI, Deepak Bohora scored 44 runs with one six and four fours off 40 balls. Hari Chauhan scored 42 runs with three sixes and four fours off 34 balls, and Captain Gaurav Bishwakarma scored 12 runs, while other batters failed to score in double digits. In dismissing Mayor's XI, Lumbini's Salauddin Khan took five wickets, Bir Bahadur Ghartimagar took four, and Krishna Karki took one wicket.

In the other semi-final match held on Monday, Madhesh Province entered the final by winning against Sudurpashchim Province by three wickets. Madhesh successfully chased the target of 153 runs set by Sudurpashchim in 18.2 overs, losing seven wickets. Earlier, Sudurpashchim Province, choosing to bat after winning the toss, scored 152 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.

Pawan Sarraf played an unbeaten half-century inning for Madhesh Province's victory. He scored 51 runs with the support of five sixes and one four off 34 balls. Similarly, Mayan Yadav contributed 38 runs with three sixes and two fours off 27 balls, Captain Anil Kumar Shah scored 33 runs with three sixes and three fours off 14 balls, and Abhishek Tiwari scored 10 runs off 12 balls, while other batters failed to score in double digits. In bowling, Kailash Aire of Sudurpashchim took three wickets, while Milan Bohora, Sauryashrestha, and Lokendra Chand took one wicket each.

In the initial batting, Sudurpashchim Province Captain Kiran Thagunna scored 34 runs with one six and four fours off 23 balls. Roshan Saud scored 29 runs with two sixes and two fours off 25 balls, Deepak Tamata scored 27 runs with two sixes and two fours off 24 balls, and Tek Rawat scored 20 runs with one six and two fours off 10 balls. Lokendra Chand and Kailash Aire scored 10 runs each, while other batters failed to score in double digits. In bowling, Ranjit Kumar took four wickets, and Abhishek Tiwari took three wickets.

In the Fifth Gaidakot T-20 National Cricket Competition, which features the largest prize money in the district, eight teams participated: seven from the provinces and one host team. The winner of the competition will receive a prize of NPR 300,000 along with the title, and the runner-up will receive NPR 200,000.