KATHMANDU: Nepal, having won two consecutive matches in the ACC Premier Cup, will compete against Hong Kong today.

The match starts at 11:45 am. Nepal, with four points from two matches, is aiming for its third consecutive victory.

Nepal’s first match: 5-wicket win against Malaysia

Nepal defeated Malaysia by five wickets in the first match on Friday, chasing a target of 144 runs in 19.2 overs.

Kushal Bhurtel scored 24 runs in 24 balls with three fours, while Arif Shaikh contributed 32 runs off 35 balls with four fours.

Gulshan Jha scored 19 not out with two sixes and a four in seven balls.

Captain Rohit Paudel scored 28 runs, Dipendra Singh Airee scored 20 runs, and Kushal Malla scored 7 runs.

Sandeep Zora remained not out with 12 runs. For Malaysia, Birandeep Singh took 3 wickets, and Mohammad Wafiq and Pawandeep Singh took one wicket each.

After winning the toss, Malaysia batted first and scored 143 runs, losing 3 wickets in 20 overs.

Malaysia’s captain Bhirandeep Singh scored 68 runs, and Sharwin Muniyandi added 41 runs.

For Nepal, Dipendra Singh Airee took 2 wickets, and Avinash Bohora took one wicket.

Nepal’s second match: 32-run win over Qatar

Nepal continued its winning streak by defeating Qatar by 32 runs in the match on Saturday.

Nepal set a target of 211 runs, and Qatar scored 178 runs, losing 9 wickets in 20 overs.

Nepal batted first and scored 210 runs, losing 7 wickets in 20 overs.

Dipendra Singh Airee led the way with an unbeaten 64 runs.

He completed his half-century in 19 balls and made a world record by hitting 6 sixes in 6 balls in the last over.

Asif Sheikh scored 52 runs, Kushal Malla scored 35 runs, captain Rohit Paudel scored 18 runs, Kushal Bhurtel scored 12 runs, Sandeep Zora scored 7 runs, and Gulshan Jha scored 5 runs.

Nepal is in Group A of the Premier Cup and will play its next match against Saudi Arabia on April 17.

Group B comprises of Bahrain, Cambodia, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and the final match will be held on April 21.

The winning team of the tournament will qualify for the 2025 T20 Asia Cup.