Cricket Kitchen

Machhapuchhre Edge Armenia to Lift 5 matches T20 Series

April 26, 2026

The five-match Rara T20 series held in Pokhara concluded with the home team, Machhapuchhre Cricket Club, defeating the Armenia Development Cricket Team 3–2 to claim the title. At the Eden Heavens Cricket Ground in the beautiful city of Pokhara, proved to be highly competitive, thrilling, and entertaining for the spectators.

From the very first match, there was intense competition between the two sides. In the opening game, the Armenia Development Cricket Team made an excellent start and secured victory with a balanced batting performance and disciplined bowling.

However, Machhapuchhre Cricket Club made a strong comeback in the second match to level the series. In that game, Machhapuchhre’s bowler Yuvraj Yadav grabbed everyone’s attention by dismissing four players from the visiting side.

The third match again went in favor of Armenia. Under the strategic captaincy of Vijay Gaud and a powerful batting performance from Sakil, they registered a comfortable win. In the fourth match, Machhapuchhre showed resilience under pressure to level the series 2–2. Stand-in captain Anish GC delivered an outstanding all-round performance, taking 3 wickets and scoring a half-century, while Anish Tamrakar played a blistering innings of 78 runs. This result set up a decisive final match.

The fifth and final match was extremely exciting. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Machhapuchhre struggled early, scoring just 47 runs for the loss of 3 wickets after 10 overs. Despite early pressure, the middle-order batsmen took responsibility and built a respectable total, with Ghanshyam Yadav playing an explosive innings. Machhapuchhre eventually posted 161 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs.

In the rain-affected second innings, Armenia fell short by 13 runs according to the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method. As a result, Machhapuchhre Cricket Club won the match and clinched the series 3–2.

Sakil from the Armenia Development Cricket Team was the standout performer of the series, winning both the “Player of the Tournament” and “Batter of the Tournament” awards. He scored four half-centuries in five matches, consistently contributing to his team’s performance.

On the bowling side, Sameer Bhujel of Machhapuchhre Cricket Club was named “Bowler of the Tournament” after taking eight wickets. He played a crucial role in key moments, particularly in the second and fourth matches, where he dismantled the opposition’s middle order.

After the series, Armenia captain Vijay Gaud said, “This series was a great learning opportunity for us. We played some excellent cricket, but mistakes at crucial moments cost us the title. I am proud of the performances of players like Sakil, and we will come back stronger in the future.”

Similarly, winning captain Dipesh Khatri praised his team’s effort, stating, “We aimed to win this series from the beginning. Every player fulfilled their role, which led to our success. We were dominant in all three departments on the field. Performances from players like Yuvraj Yadav, Sameer Bhujel, Anish GC, Ghanshyam Yadav, and Anish Tamrakar were outstanding.”

This series held at Eden Heavens Cricket Ground in Pokhara has significantly contributed to raising the standard of local cricket.

 

Squads

Armenia Development Cricket Team:
Vijay Gaud (Captain), Sakil Khan, Shakib, Sarfaraz Ansari, Chetan Singh Rajput, Sonu Sharma, Yash, Manas Birmane, Dibyanshu Chaudhary, Krish Tadvii, Shani Thakur, Shabit
Coach: Dipak Kumar Sharma

Machhapuchhre Cricket Team:
Dipesh Khatri (Captain), Anish GC, Anish Tamrakar, Roshan Nepali, Yuvraj Thakur, Amrit Lamichhane, Bimochan Sapkota, Aniket Gajurel, Aakash BK, Sameer Bhujel, Pratham Srivastava, Abhinav Shah, Sanjay Nepal, Shirish Bastola, Ghanshyam Yadav, Rhythm Pandey, Aakash Bogati, Dipak Majhi
Coach: Rabindra Thapa