SATV, Kathmandu, Mar. 27: Nepal Police Club and Tribhuwan Army Club both registered their second victories in the Prime Minister(PM)’s Cup with identical seven‑wicket wins on Thursday.

With the results, Police and Army moved into the top two positions on the points table with four points each. Police have two wins and one loss from three matches, while Army remain unbeaten with two wins from two outings.

Lumbini Province, Madhesh Province and Karnali Province are level on three points, occupying third, fourth and fifth place respectively. Bagmati Province and APF Club, with two points apiece, sit sixth and seventh.

At Mulpani Cricket Ground, Police defeated Bagmati by seven wickets to claim their second win. 

Batting first, Bagmati were bowled out for 265 in 49.2 overs. Police chased down the target comfortably, finishing on 271/3 in just 44 overs.

A superb century from opener Shankar Rana, who struck 116 off 128 balls with 13 fours and four sixes guided Police to victory. 

He shared a 159‑run opening stand with Dinesh Kharel, who contributed a fluent 70. 

Captain Aarif Sheikh added an unbeaten 43, while Rashid Khan sealed the win with a quickfire 10 not out. Rana’s match‑winning knock earned him the Player of the Match award.

For Bagmati, Pawan Thapa (79 off 101) and Ishan Pandey (70 off 80) steadied the innings after an early collapse at 71/3 in 10.3 overs. The pair added 124 runs for the fourth wicket. 

Contributions also came from Ashutosh Ghiraiya (22), Shubh Kansakar (14), Shivam Tiwari (12), Uttam Magar (21) and captain Sandeep Lamichhane (13). 

Karan KC and Dinesh Kharel claimed three wickets each for Police.

At the Lower Mulpani Ground, Army defeated Gandaki Province by seven wickets in the 11th match of the tournament. 

Gandaki, opting to bat first, struggled against disciplined bowling and were dismissed for 209 in 49.4 overs.

Chasing 210, Army’s top order made light work of the target. Trit Raj Das (51) and skipper Binod Bhandari (58) put on a fluent century stand to set the tone. 

Though both fell in quick succession, Bhim Sharki (54) and Kushal Malla (43) ensured a smooth finish, guiding the side home in 34 overs at a run rate of 6.17.

For Gandaki, Subash Bhandari took two wickets, while Arjun Kumal anchored the innings with a patient 67 off 102 balls. 

Deepak Dumre added urgency with a brisk 51 from 45 deliveries. However, regular breakthroughs from Shahab Alam (3/53) and Aakash Chand (3/48), along with Kushal Malla’s economical 2/18, restricted Gandaki to 209 all out.