JB Brugge, Featuring Three Nepali Players, Lose Opening Match of EU T20 League

Brussels. JB Brugge, featuring three Nepali players, suffered a defeat in their opening match of the EU T20 League, which is being organised in Belgium for the first time.

In a rain-affected match on Saturday, JB Brugge lost to Exel United Brussels by 27 runs under the DLS method. Nepali players Ishan Pandey, Gulshan Jha and Lalit Rajbanshi all featured for JB Brugge.

Batting first, JB Brugge posted 159 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Lahiru Milantha top-scored for the side with 51 runs, while Nikhil Chaudhary contributed 47. Among the Nepali players, Gulshan Jha scored 21 runs, while Ishan Pandey was dismissed for just one run.

Chasing a target of 160, Exel United Brussels had reached 124 runs for the loss of four wickets in 12.5 overs when rain stopped play. As continuous rain prevented the match from resuming, Brussels were declared winners under the DLS calculation.

With the ball, Nepali spinner Lalit Rajbanshi conceded 39 runs in 2.5 overs and went wicketless. The rain interruption denied JB Brugge an opportunity to make a comeback in the match.

JB Brugge is owned by Dream Sports, which is associated with Janakpur Bolts, a franchise of the Nepal Premier League. Nepali national team captain Dipendra Singh Airee and batter Anil Sah are also contracted with the team.

However, Dipendra has not travelled to Belgium due to national team commitments, while Anil could not take part in the tournament as he is busy with the Nepal ‘A’ team. Lalit Rajbanshi, who was also on Nepal ‘A’ team’s tour of Uttarakhand in India, joined JB Brugge in Belgium directly from there.

Although JB Brugge lost their opening match, the team’s performance will be followed closely in the upcoming fixtures. The participation of national team players such as Gulshan Jha and Lalit Rajbanshi has drawn the attention of Nepali cricket fans to the tournament.