The recently concluded PM Cup Women’s National Cricket Tournament in Nepal featured some of the country’s best players. With eight national women’s teams competing, Team Sudur Paschim Province was crowned champions for the first time, defeating Province One by six wickets in the finals.
Choosing the best eleven players from the tournament was a difficult task, however, after much thought and deliberation, we present to you the top XI that we consider to be the Best XI of the tournament.
- Bindu Rawal (Sudur Paschim, Batter) – The Sudur Paschim skipper led from the front, scoring runs consistently and marshalling her troops effectively in her first-ever title win as a captain in the Nepali Domestic Cricket. Her leadership and ability to score runs under pressure were major factors in Sudur Paschim’s success in the tournament. She scored 129 runs in five innings with a strike rate of 88.96 and averaged 43 in the series. She scored an unbeaten half-century (60*) against Madhesh Province.
2. Kabita Kunwar (Sudur Paschim, Batter) – The Sudur Paschim top-order batter was in stellar form throughout the tournament, scoring runs at a brisk pace and providing solid starts for her team. She scored a whopping 134 runs and took two wickets in four innings. Her outing included two half-centuries, also bagging her the best batter, player of the choice award, and player of the series award in the series. This, by far, is the best performance for the 19-year-old all-rounder in the domestic circuit.
3. Sita Rana Magar (Nepal APF, All-Rounder) – Although Nepal APF could not make it to the finals for the first time in tournament history, the all-rounder makes it to our list for her ability to score boundaries in the powerplay, quick running between the wickets and ability to take wickets in the middle overs. She scored 69 runs and picked up four wickets in four innings. She had the second lowest Ball per Boundary rate with 5.9 and had a Non-Boundary Strike rate of 55.10.
4. Kajal Shrestha (Province One, Wicketkeeper) – Kajal Shrestha was a key player for Province One. She scored 115 runs in five innings at an average of 38.33 and 66 percent of her total runs came from the boundaries. She also had safe pair of hands and was involved in three dismissals behind the wickets.
5. Kanchan Shrestha (Bagmati, Batter) – Kanchan had a decent performance in the PM Cup scoring a half-century (56) in her three innings. Not to forget, she has been consistent in her past series and has a boundary of 57% involved in her 83 runs with an average of 27.66.
6. Rubina Chhetry (Province One, Captain) – Rubina had a good tournament, scoring 93 runs at an average of 46.5 in five innings. She also chipped in five wickets and led her side to the finals with her reliable performance, both with the bat and the ball.
7. Ashmina Karmacharya (Bagmati, All-Rounder) – The Bagmati skipper makes it to the list as a medium-pace bowling allrounder. She took six wickets in three matches and scored 41 runs at an average of 20.5. She was seen very sharp with her inswinging deliveries and was very quick running between the wickets (has an NBSR of 61.70).
8. Kabita Joshi (Sudur Paschim, All-Rounder) – The hard-hitting all-rounder’s abilities were on full display in the tournament. She was the finest hitter of the ball striking at a rate of 144 and contributed valuable 65 runs with the bat averaging 65. She also took three wickets in the series.
9. Sabnam Rai (Province One, Bowler) – The Province One fast bowler was in great form with the ball, taking wickets at an economy rate of under three runs per over. Her tight bowling was a major factor in Province One to the semi-finals. She took eight wickets in five innings with a best bowling of 4/1 against Madhesh Province.
10. Sangita Rai (Province One, Bowler) – Sangita Rai, the right arm off spinner from Province One needs no introduction. Bowling one of the finest deliveries in the tournament, she took 7 wickets in the tournament keeping the runs down with her tight and accurate bowling.
11. Manisha Chaudhary (Sudur Paschim, Bowler) – The young Sudur Paschim medium-fast bowler was a revelation in the tournament, taking wickets at a regular rate and keeping the runs down with her tight and accurate bowling. She took 11 wickets in 5 matches (Avg: 7.09, Econ: 3.9) bagging the best bowler of the series in her debut.
This, we believe is the best XI after the completion of the tournament, but undoubtedly, there are many more talented players out there. Nepal women’s cricket is constantly evolving, and it will be exciting to see how these players and others continue to develop and make their mark on the game.
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