KATHMANDU: Bhutan suffered its second consecutive defeat in the ongoing ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup in Malaysia, losing to Nepal by 51 runs on Thursday morning, following an opening-match loss.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Bhutan’s bowling attack put up a strong performance to bowl out Nepal for 113 runs in 20 overs, led by excellent three-wicket hauls from both Sonam Choden and Tshering Zangmo, while Nepal’s Sita Rana Magar top-scored with 37.

In reply, Bhutan’s batting lineup struggled against the Nepali bowlers and was restricted to 62 for 8 in their 20 overs, despite a brilliant, unbeaten fighting knock of 39 runs off 60 balls from opener Dechen Wangmo.

Nepal’s bowling defense was spearheaded by Rubina Chhetry, who took three wickets, and Riya Sharma, who claimed two.

With this second loss, Bhutan remains winless at the bottom of Group D alongside Qatar, while Nepal leads the table with four points and Hong Kong sits second with two.

The 18-team tournament is split into four groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarterfinals.

Crucially, this tournament serves as the pathway to the upcoming ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, requiring teams to reach at least the semifinals to claim one of the four qualification spots.

Bhutan will look to bounce back in their next matches, while Nepal concludes its group stage against Hong Kong on June 6.