Sandeep Lamichhane appointed Nepal ODI captain as 14-man ACC Premier Cup squad announced

On Monday, August 10 in Nepal, the Cricket Association of Nepal announced a 14-member squad for the ACC Premier Cup and appointed Sandeep Lamichhane as Nepal’s new ODI captain. The change returns Lamichhane to the 50-over captaincy ahead of the ACC Premier Cup in Malaysia.

Lamichhane previously led Nepal as national captain after taking over in December 2021 from Gyanendra Malla and captained the side in both ODIs and T20Is before Rohit Paudel assumed the role in 2022. Under Paudel, Nepal won 11 of their 12 ODI matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, results that helped Nepal secure a place in the 2023 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Lamichhane’s appointment marks his return to the ODI captaincy after more than four years.

He captained Nepal in 14 ODIs in 2022, recording four wins, nine defeats and one tie. The 26-year-old leg-spinner has reached 154 ODI wickets in 77 matches, becoming the fastest player to reach the landmark in terms of matches and the fastest Nepal player to reach 100 wickets in T20Is.

Despite relinquishing the ODI captaincy, Rohit Paudel has retained his place in the 14-member squad. The selection also includes Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC and Aasif Sheikh, alongside all-rounder Gulshan Jha.

The ACC Premier Cup is scheduled to begin in Malaysia on August 30, and Nepal are drawn in Group A with Bahrain, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The Cricket Association of Nepal named the squad specifically for this tournament.

Nepal will open their ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026 campaign on September 1 against Saudi Arabia at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.