Karnali Yaks Beat Janakpur Bolts by 19 Runs in NPL M3

Karnali Yaks beat Janakpur Bolts by 19 runs in NPL 2026 Match 3 at Kirtipur, defending 132 for nine by bowling Janakpur out for 113 in 19.3 overs in the second match of the double-header day.

Karnali Yaks beat Janakpur Bolts: Talat and Thakuri defend 132

Karnali Yaks won a low-scoring match because two bowlers shared six wickets between them. Hussain Talat finished with three wickets for 26 runs in four overs, and Unish Thakuri took three for 22 in four overs, including a maiden. Janakpur Bolts, chasing 133, were bowled out for 113 in 19.3 overs, and no Janakpur batter passed 20.

Talat removed Moeen Ali for 19, Kusal Perera for six and Abhisekh Tiwari for 20, three wickets that cut the heart out of the chase. Thakuri dismissed James Neesham for 15, captain Harmeet Singh for 19 and Aaditya Mahata without scoring. Nandan Yadav, who had scored nine with the bat, then closed the match with two wickets for 13 runs in 2.3 overs, bowling Lalit Rajbanshi for one as the last wicket fell. Rahul Yadav, unbeaten on one, was the only Janakpur batter left when the innings ended.

It was a defence built on pressure rather than one spectacular over. Karnali's bowlers gave Janakpur no partnership longer than a brief stand, and the required rate climbed through the middle overs until the chase was gone. Thakuri's maiden over, rare in a low-scoring T20, summed up the squeeze: Janakpur's batters could not find the boundary when they needed it most, and the wickets that followed were the result of scoreboard pressure as much as good bowling. The win gives Karnali two points from their first match of the season, and a bowling attack that has already shown it can defend a modest total.

Ariful Islam's 43 sets up Karnali's 132 for 9

The win was set up by Ariful Islam, who top-scored with 43 off 29 balls, hitting four sixes and no fours. After Janakpur Bolts won the toss and sent Karnali in to bat, opener Mark Watt fell for one, but Ariful kept the innings moving with a brisk knock that carried Karnali past 70 inside ten overs. Deepak Dumre added 13 off five balls, with two sixes, before he was bowled by Rahul Yadav.

Pawan Sarraf anchored the second half of the innings with 37 off 37 balls, including three sixes, but received little support. Hussain Talat made three off 14 balls, Akbar Ali one, and captain Sompal Kami one, as Janakpur's bowlers kept taking wickets. Gulsan Jha scored 12 off nine balls and Nandan Yadav nine off 12, and Karnali finished on 132 for nine, with Yuvraj Khatri unbeaten on one.

Janakpur's bowling was led by captain Harmeet Singh, who took three wickets for 22 runs in four overs, including a maiden. Moeen Ali took two for 19 and Rahul Yadav two for 15, while Lalit Rajbanshi claimed one wicket. At the innings break, 132 looked below par, but under lights it proved more than enough.

Janakpur's chase falls away after a steady start

Janakpur's chase began without disaster but never found a partnership. Mayan Yadav made 14 off 11 balls, with two sixes, before he was run out, and Trit Raj Das fell for one. Moeen Ali scored 19 off 22 balls and Anil Sah 11 off 17, but both fell before they could build a stand, and Kusal Perera, playing his first match for Janakpur after signing earlier in the day, made six off four balls.

James Neesham scored 15 off 14 balls and Harmeet Singh 19 off 13, but Thakuri removed both, and Abhisekh Tiwari's 20 off 17 balls, with two sixes, was the highest score of the innings. Aaditya Mahata fell without scoring, Rahul Yadav finished unbeaten on one off ten balls, and Lalit Rajbanshi was the last man out for one. Janakpur lost their last five wickets for very few runs, and the chase ended with three balls of the innings unused.

The defeat is a disappointing start for the defending champions, who had restricted Karnali to a modest total and will feel they let the match slip. Their bowlers did their job; their batters, against disciplined Karnali bowling, did not. Perera's early dismissal hurt, because Janakpur had signed him earlier in the day to strengthen the top order, and Neesham, who has won matches from similar positions before, could not stay long enough to finish the chase. Sahibzada Farhan, on national duty, missed the match for Karnali, who still found enough bowling depth to defend 132.

Points table and next fixtures for both teams

The result puts Karnali on two points from their opening match, with a net run rate of +0.950, while Janakpur start on zero points at -0.950. The win also levels the head-to-head between the sides at two wins each. The early points table now has three teams on two points after three matches, with Lumbini Lions and Chitwan Rhinos already winners on the opening day.

Both teams are back in action on October 29 in another double-header at Kirtipur. Janakpur face Kathmandu Gurkhas at 12:30 PM NST, and Karnali meet Biratnagar Kings at 5:00 PM NST, and the full schedule for the rest of the league stage is already set. The match report for the day's first game is covered in Chitwan Rhinos Beat Biratnagar Kings by 8 Runs in NPL M2, and the pre-match build-up is in the Karnali vs Janakpur Match 3 preview. For readers following the tournament ball by ball, the live scores page carries each match as it happens, and the full scorecard sits on the Karnali vs Janakpur match centre.