Biratnagar Kings has secured a place in the finals of the ongoing Dhanghadi Premier League (DPL) after defeating Rupandehi Challengers in the first qualifier by 29 runs.

Biratnagar won the toss and elected to bat first against the table toppers from the league round. Biratnagar managed 128/9 from 20 overs. Having lost their first wicket with no runs on the scoreboard, Biratnagar lost their second one to find themselves struggling at 22-2. Contribution from middle order with Aasif Sheikh (36), Sharad Veswakar (24) and Pawan Sarraf (15) took them to 128. Skipper Shakti Gauchan finished with the figures of 3-16 from his 4 overs while Dipesh Shrestha bagged 2 wickets for Rupandehi Challengers.

Rupandehi in reply couldn't start well. They lost 2 wickets for just 13 runs on the board. Puspa Thapa (22) and Bikram Sob (23) were only two batsmen who got to double digit score for Rupandehi. Ultimately, Rupandehi fell short of the target by 29 runs. Sushil Kandel with 4 wickets and Sandeep Lamichhane with 2 wickets did the job for Biratnagar to restrict Rupandehi from getting to the target.

With the win, Biratnagar Kings have now secured a place in the finals while Rupandehi has to face Dhanghadi Team Chauraha in the second qualifier. Dhanghadi defeated Kathmandu Goldens to get a change in second qualifier.

Match Summary:

Biratnagar Kings:128/9 (Aasif 36, Sharad 24, Shakti 3-16)

beat

Rupandehi Challengers:99 (Bikram 23, Puspa 22, Sushil 4-15)

by 29 runs