June 15, Surkhet – The final of the Under-19 Women’s National Cricket Tournament, currently underway in Birendranagar, will be contested between Madhesh and Sudurpashchim provinces. Sudurpashchim secured their spot in the final against Madhesh by defeating them by 7 wickets in the last group stage match. Meanwhile, Gandaki, which had kept a slim chance of qualifying for the final by beating Karnali on Sunday, was left disappointed following Sudurpashchim’s win over Madhesh.
Madhesh, which had remained unbeaten in their previous six matches, suffered their first loss of the tournament against Sudurpashchim but still advanced to the final as title contenders. At Kalungchok Ground, chasing a target of 118 runs, Sudurpashchim openers Savitri Dhami and Karuna Bisht built a strong partnership of 68 runs in 8 overs. After Dhami was bowled by Sushmitakumari Yadav for 24, Karuna was run out shortly after, shifting momentum towards Madhesh. However, Rashmi Sunar and Ravina Dhami scored 15 and 18 runs respectively, helping secure the victory.
Karuna played an aggressive innings, scoring 51 runs with 9 fours off 30 balls at a strike rate of 170. Earlier, Madhesh posted a total of 117 runs, largely thanks to Sana Pravin and Pratima Sah, who both scored 23 runs. Aarti Mahto and Shivani Sah contributed 10 runs each for Madhesh.
In another match on Sunday, Gandaki achieved a comprehensive 8-wicket victory over the home team Karnali. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Karnali managed 96 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs, with captain Tirsana Bishwakarma narrowly missing a half-century by one run. Although opener Sovika Shahi was dismissed for a duck, Bishwakarma remained not out on 49 from 62 balls, including one six and six fours. Shikha Duwadi added 17 runs.
Bowling for Gandaki, Niru GT took two wickets, while Yashoda Bhujel and Jenisha Sharma claimed one wicket each. Chasing the modest target of 97 runs, Gandaki’s openers Shreya Shah and Jyotsini Marasini fell early for 3 and 13 runs respectively, but the third and fourth batswomen stayed unbeaten and stabilized the innings. Chandramaya Baral scored an unbeaten 39 runs off 37 balls with 5 fours, and Deepika Sapkota added an unbeaten 32 runs off 29 balls with 5 fours, guiding Gandaki to an easy win.
In the final group stage match, Lumbini set a target of just 48 runs for Koshi. Despite earning 16 extras, no Lumbini batter reached double figures, and four were dismissed without scoring. The final match of the tournament, between Madhesh and Sudurpashchim, will take place today at Kalungchok Ground starting at 9 a.m.
