Hong Kong, led by skipper Natasha Miles were up against Bhutan, led by skipper Anju Gurung, in the 8th match of the opening day of the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2026 on 3rd June 2026. Malaysia, UAE, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Oman and Indonesia registered victories on the opening day of the tournament.
Hong Kong skipper Natasha Miles won the toss and opted to bat first at Kolej Tuanku Jaafar Cricket Oval, Mantin. The Hong Kong openers, Mariko Hill and skipper Natasha Miles, got their side off to a steady start with a 42-run opening stand. Tsehring Choden got the big scalp of the opposition skipper, Natasha Miles (19 off 29 balls), in the 8th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for Bhutan.
Tsehring Choden accounted for the scalp of Mariko Hill (21 off 25 balls) in the 10th over of the innings, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Kary Chan (34 off 23 balls) joined wicket-keeper batter Yasmeen Daswani (35* off 41 balls) at the crease, and the duo adopted a proactive approach en route to their 71-run stand for the 3rd wicket, which took them past the 120-run mark.
Kary Chan was dismissed by Ritshi Choden in the 19th over of the innings. Hong Kong eventually posted a competitive total of 133/3 in their quota of 20 overs. Tshering Choden (4-0-17-2), skipper Anju Gurung (4-0-21-0), Riya Pradhan (3-1-15-0), and Ritshi Choden (3-0-21-1) were the top performers with the ball for Bhutan. Sonam (3-0-15-0) played her part with the ball for her side.
Chasing a target of 134, the Bhutan openers Dechen Wangmo and wicket-keeper batter Ngawang Choden got their side off to a promising start with a 59-run opening stand. Joyleen Kaur dismissed both the openers, Dechen Wangmo (39 off 39 balls) and wicket-keeper batter Ngawang Choden (19 off 21 balls) in quick succession to bring Hong Kong back into the contest.
Tshering Choden (21 off 26 balls) joined Sonam (23 off 21 balls) at the crease with Bhutan at 66/2 in the 11th over of the run chase. The pair took them into a comfortable position in the run chase, courtesy of a vital 44-run stand for the 3rd wicket. Maryam Bibi delivered a double strike, removing both the set batters Sonam and Tshering Choden in the 18th over of the run chase.
Hong Kong bowlers scripted a spirited fightback to restrict Bhutan to 119/6 in their quota of 20 overs. As a result, Bhutan fell 14 runs short of the target. The innings had as many as 8 extras. Maryam Bibi (2-0-8-3), Joyleen Kaur (4-0-27-2), Iqra Sahar (4-0-21-1), and Ruchitha Venkatesh (4-0-18-0) were the top performers with the ball for Hong Kong. Maryam Bibi was awarded the Player of the Match as she delivered a decisive spell (2-0-8-3) towards the backend of the innings, playing a crucial role as Hong Kong sealed a comfortable victory.
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