Maaz, Anil star in Janakpur's first win

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Dec 02, 2025

Janakpur Bolts finally broke their winless streak in the second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), securing a crucial first victory that keeps their faint playoff hopes alive.

After four straight defeats, the defending champions were on the verge of elimination, but an outstanding all-round performance from Pakistani youngster Maaz Sadaqat and Nepal batter Anil Sah revived their campaign against Chitwan Rhinos on Tuesday.

Chasing a target of 177 runs, Janakpur finished the chase with 15 balls to spare, thanks to half centuries from Maaz and Anil.

Janakpur’s batting order had struggled throughout the tournament, with captain Anil Sah facing the most criticism after scoring just five runs in his first three matches, including a duck.

Under pressure both as captain and as a batter, Anil was eventually dropped after the third loss, and the captaincy was handed to overseas recruit Wayne Parnell. The change, however, did not immediately improve the team’s fortunes.

Returning to the playing XI against Chitwan, but without the captaincy Anil looked transformed. Playing with freedom, he rediscovered his timing and aggression, producing a match-winning knock that earned him the Player of the Match award.

Batting at one-down, he smashed 61 off 36 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. After the match, Anil admitted that the weight of leadership and lack of runs had clouded his mindset. He said he needed the break and felt relieved and refreshed coming back as a specialist batter, which allowed him to play naturally without the added pressure of captaincy.

Maaz Sadaqat provided an explosive foundation, blasting 63 off 30 balls with six fours and four sixes. Together, Maaz and Anil dismantled the Chitwan attack. Both players had earlier contributed with the ball as well, taking a wicket each.

Despite strong performances from Chitwan’s Dawid Malan (80) and Arjun Saud (52), their total fell around 10–15 runs short, according to Malan. The pitch, which had played difficult for batters in earlier matches, behaved much better this time, allowing fluent strokeplay.

The victory finally opened Janakpur’s account in the points table and delivered a setback to Chitwan’s strong playoff push. Although Janakpur remain in a precarious position, the win keeps them mathematically alive.

With two matches remaining, they have to win both of them and still depend on other results, hoping the outcome to come their way.