Nepal fell short in their pursuit of a 157-run target against Baroda in the SMS Friendship T20 Cup in India, losing by 37 runs. Despite a valiant 56 off 43 balls from Sundeep Jora, Nepal was all out for 119 runs in 18.5 overs.
Baroda’s bowlers were instrumental in their victory, with Dhruv Patel taking an impressive 4 wickets for just 16 runs in 3.5 overs. Lakshit Toxia (3 wickets) and Jai Abha (2 wickets) provided excellent support.
Earlier, Baroda opted to bat first and put up a competitive 156 runs for 8 wickets. Key contributions came from Dhruv Patel (29 off 14 balls), Shashwat Rawat (31), and Mohit Moginah (22). Nepal’s Karan KC and Gulshan Jha both took 2 wickets, while Akash Chand, Pratish GC, and Lalit Rajbanshi claimed a wicket each.
Nepal’s earlier victories in the tournament against both Gujarat and Baroda were not enough to overcome this loss. Nepal will now face Gujarat in the final on Sunday.
