Nepal U19 began their ACC Women’s U19 Premier Cup 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Qatar U19 by 105 runs at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur. After posting 130/3 in 20 overs, Nepal produced a ruthless bowling display to dismiss Qatar for just 25 in 12 overs, with Riya Sharma and Rachana Kumari Chaudhary claiming three wickets apiece.
Having elected to bat first after winning the toss, Nepal were handed a solid start by openers Sana Praveen and Sabitri Dhami. The pair put on 80 runs for the opening wicket in 10.2 overs, laying the platform for a competitive total. Sana was the first to depart after making 27(32), striking three boundaries before she was caught by Devanandha Kavinisseri off Lihara Abeysekara.
Nepal suffered another blow just three balls later when captain Sony Pakhrin bowled for 0(3), leaving the score at 80/2. Dhami continued to anchor the innings. She brought up a well-crafted half century before eventually falling for 52(47), an innings featuring five fours, after being bowled by Fatima Mukadam in the 17th over. By then, Nepal had moved to 105/3.
With wickets in hand, Anjila Pathak ensured Nepal finished strongly. She remained unbeaten on 23(32), while Tirsana Bishwokarma added 5*(10) as the pair shared an unbroken 25-run stand for the fourth wicket. Nepal closed on 130/3, helped by 23 extras, including 18 wides and four no-balls.
Abeysekara was the standout bowler for Qatar, returning excellent figures of 2/11 from four overs, while Mukadam claimed 1/17 in three overs. The remaining bowlers went wicketless, with Maria Jacob conceding 20 runs, Jaza Mariyam 19, Krisheta Sarvanakumar 22, Mehza Mehwish 19, Devanandha Kavinisseri 12, and Kezia Paul 9.
Chasing 131, Qatar’s innings never got going as Nepal’s bowlers struck from the very first delivery. Anu Kadayat trapped Kezia Paul lbw for 0(1) before Manisha Upadhayay removed Fatima Mukadam for 0(3), reducing Qatar to 0/2. Captain Krisheta Sarvanakumar briefly resisted with 3(13), but wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals. Lihara Abeysekara made 2(7), while Devanandha Kavinisseri was run out without scoring. Pavithra Thamarai Selvam managed 1(11).
Wicketkeeper Sargam Patel top-scored for Qatar with 4(7) before falling to Riya, while Mehza Mehwish added 1(3), Maria Jacob scored 1(9) and Fathima Rana was dismissed lbw for 0(7) by Rachana. Jaza Mariyam remained unbeaten on 1(10) as Qatar were bundled out for 25, with 12 extras making up nearly half of their total.
Nepal’s bowlers shared the wickets impressively. Riya Sharma starred with 3/6 from three overs, while Player of the Match Rachana Kumari Chaudhary was even more economical, returning 3/2 in three overs. Manisha Upadhayay claimed 2/7, and Anu Kadayat finished with 1/7 as Qatar’s batting line-up failed to withstand Nepal’s disciplined attack.
The comprehensive victory gave Nepal an ideal start to their Premier Cup campaign, with Dhami’s composed half-century complemented by a clinical bowling performance that allowed Qatar’s batters little opportunity to settle.
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