Gandaki Province Women's T-20 Cricket Tournament Begins in Pokhara

Kaski. The third edition of the Gandaki Province-level Women's T-20 Cricket Tournament has started in Pokhara from today. The tournament has been organized by the Provincial Cricket Association Gandaki in collaboration with the Provincial Sports Council with the aim of developing women's cricket and producing new players.

In the opening match held at the cricket ground at Pokhara Stadium, Syangja made a victorious start to the tournament by defeating Nawalpur by a wide margin of 96 runs.

Batting first after winning the toss, Syangja set a competitive total of 127 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Salina Sen contributed a maximum of 40 runs for Syangja, while Armina Adhikari scored 30 runs.

Simana KC scored 12 runs. Ranjana Saud remained unbeaten on five and Antima Bishwakarma on six runs, while Syangja received only 27 runs from extras.

Among Nawalpur's bowlers, Shreya Sharma performed excellently, taking three wickets for 25 runs in four overs. Niharika Sharma took two wickets, and Ayushma Chapagain took one wicket.

Chasing a target of 128 runs for victory, Nawalpur was all out for just 31 runs on the fifth ball of the ninth over. No Nawalpur batter could score in double figures. The 14 runs obtained from extras became the team's second-highest score.

Simana KC and Niru GT took three wickets each in Syangja's easy victory. Kusum Godar took two wickets, and Ranjana Saud took one wicket. Simana KC, who performed excellently with both bat (12 runs) and ball (three wickets), was declared the 'Player of the Match' in the opening game.

Five teams from Kaski, Syangja, Nawalpur, Baglung, and Parbat are participating in the tournament. The tournament will be conducted in a 'round-robin league' system, informed the organizer Gandaki Provincial Cricket Association Chairman Sanjaykant Sigdel.

He stated that it will help in improving the standard of women's cricket, producing talented players, promoting women's cricket, enhancing players' capabilities, and producing new talent. Earlier, Gandaki Provincial Sports Council member Rabindrabahadur Praju, while inaugurating the tournament, said that the declining budget for sports is a matter of concern. He urged the players to perform excellently with discipline, competitiveness, and sportsmanship. The tournament will run until Asar 17.