Sandeep Lamichhane Takes Over as Captain of Nepal's ODI Team for ACC Men's Premier Cup

Lamichhane Assumes Captaincy

Sandeep Lamichhane has been appointed as the captain of Nepal's One Day International (ODI) team for the upcoming ACC Men's Premier Cup, according to the ICC.

The 26-year-old leg-spinner, who has taken 154 wickets in 77 ODIs, will succeed Rohit Paudel in this leadership role.

Previously, Lamichhane led Nepal in 14 ODIs before Paudel took over the captaincy in 2022.

During Paudel's tenure, Nepal achieved remarkable success, winning 11 out of 12 ODI matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2.

This successful run enabled Nepal to qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe scheduled for June 2023, with Paudel also being a key player in the batting lineup.

Lamichhane boasts an impressive record, being the fastest Nepalese bowler to reach 150 ODI wickets and the first from Nepal to secure 100 T20I wickets.

Details of the ACC Men's Premier Cup

The ACC Men's Premier Cup is set to take place in Malaysia from August 30 to September 12.

This tournament will feature the top eight teams from the 2024 ACC Men's Premier Cup, along with the two finalists from the 2026 ACC Men's Challenger Cup.

The teams that qualified include Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, based on their performance in the 2024 edition. Malaysia and Singapore secured their spots by reaching the finals of the 2026 ACC Men's Challenger Cup.

Nepal's Squad for the 2026 ACC Men's Premier Cup

The squad for Nepal includes: Sandeep Lamichhane (c), Aasif Sheikh, Arjun Kumal, Rohit Paudel, Dev Khanal, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sundeep Jora, Basir Ahamad, Ishan Pandey, Gulsan Jha, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, and Hemant Dhami.