Jay Trophy: Shankar Rana's unbeaten century revives defending champions' campaign

KIRTIPUR – Defending champions Nepal Police Club (NPC) have firmly re-established their title credentials in the Jay Trophy, riding on a masterful unbeaten century from Shankar Rana to secure a vital first-innings lead and set the stage for a dominant nine-wicket victory over Nepal APF Club at the TU International Cricket Stadium.

In a tournament where triple-figure scores have been rare, Rana's performance stood out for its resilience and tactical brilliance, helping Police bounce back from their opening-match defeat to Army.

Rana Carries the Bat in Marathon Effort

After the Police bowlers, led by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and Sagar Dhakal, bundled out APF for 185 in their first innings, the pressure was on the NPC batters to capitalize. While the top order saw starts from Kushal Bhurtel (22) and Amit Shrestha (41), it was Shankar Rana who anchored the innings with clinical precision. He brought his hundred with a six against Yuvraj Khatri on the longon boundary.

Rana played a flawless knock of 105 runs*, effectively carrying his bat through the innings to guide Nepal Police to a total of 277. His century was supported by a gritty 58 from Dilshad Ali and 30 from Rashid Khan, allowing NPC to declare with a significant 92-run lead.

Rana's ton is only the third of the tournament so far, joining Bhim Sharki (Army) and Mayan Yadav (Madhesh Province) in the elite list of Jay Trophy centurions.

Police Spinners Finish the Job

Bolstered by the lead, the Police bowling unit dismantled APF for the second time in the match. Despite a valiant 94 from Deepak Bohara, APF were bowled out for 204 in their second innings. Lalit Rajbanshi was the pick of the bowlers again, finishing with a match-haul of nine wickets.

Chasing a modest target of 113, Kushal Bhurtel's aggressive 71* ensured the result was never in doubt. Police reached the target in just 16.4 overs for the loss of one wicket, securing their first win of the campaign and moving to second in the standings.