Birgunj - Koshi Province Women won the NECOS Cup Women's National T20 Cricket Tournament title after defeating Nepal APF Club Women by 11 runs in the final at the TB Shah Cricket Ground on Saturday.
APF won the toss and elected to field first, but Koshi managed to post 98/4 in their 20 overs on a surface where run-scoring was never easy.
Kajal Shrestha carried Koshi's innings with an unbeaten 38 off 51 balls, hitting three boundaries. After Apsari Begam fell first ball, Kajol held the innings together through important stands with Tika Shah, Lakita Rajbanshi, Rubina Chhetry and Prinsha Rana Magar.
Prinsha remained unbeaten on 16 off 22 balls, while Rubina made 12 and Lakita added 10. For APF, Suman Bista, Sabnam Rai, Kabita Joshi and Sita Rana Magar picked up one wicket each.
Chasing 99, APF were bowled out for 87 in 19.5 overs. Kabita Joshi top-scored with 14, while Rewati Dhami made a quick 12 off seven balls. Mamta Chaudhary added nine, but APF lost wickets at regular intervals and could not build a decisive partnership.
Rubina led Koshi’s bowling response with 3/18 from four overs. Riya Sharma took 2/14 in 3.5 overs, while Niru Rajbanshi claimed 2/19. Tika Shah and Apsari Begam also picked up one wicket each.
Kajol was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 38. She also finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 126 runs and received the Best Batter and Player of the Tournament awards. Krishma Gurung finished as the leading wicket-taker with eight wickets in four matches.
