Kushal Malla's unbeaten 90 powers Army to thrilling one-ball win over Bagmati

Kushal Malla produced one of the finest innings in PM Cup history as Tribhuvan Army Club edged Bagmati Province by three wickets in a last-over thriller at Upper Mulpani.

In a rain-affected match reduced to 28 overs per side, Bagmati piled up 208 for 7 after being asked to bat first. Ashutosh Ghiraiya led the early charge with 38 off 36, while Pawan Thapa made 35. Later, Bibek Magar struck 30 off 24 and Pratis GC blasted 28 off just 15 balls to keep the innings moving.

Bagmati then surged at the death through an unbroken 50-run stand for the eighth wicket between Sonu Devkota and captain Sandeep Lamichhane. Sonu remained unbeaten on 30 off 19 balls, while Sandeep made 21 not out from 12 as Bagmati scored 68 runs in the final six overs.

For Army, Naren Saud was the standout bowler with 4 for 26 in six overs, while Shahab Alam, Durgesh Gupta and Basir Ahamad picked up one wicket each.

Army's chase was anchored first by Trit Raj Das, who made 54 off 48, and then transformed by Kushal. The left-hander took control of the chase with a breathtaking unbeaten 90 from 58 deliveries, striking three fours and eight sixes. He also shared a crucial 54-run sixth-wicket partnership with Naren, who contributed 26 from 22 balls.

The equation had become steep late in the innings, with Army needing 37 from the last three overs. Matters worsened when Ishan Pandey struck twice in two balls in the 26th over to leave Army needing 34 from the final two overs.

Kushal, however, turned the game on its head by taking 22 runs off Sandeep Lamichhane's 27th over, including three sixes. That left Army needing 12 in the final over. After Shahab Alam took a single from the first ball, Kushal farmed the strike and finished the chase dramatically, hitting a four, then a two, before sealing victory with a six with one ball to spare.

The result gave Army their third win in four matches and took them to the top of the table with seven points.