Sandeep Lamichhane returns as Nepal captain as he replaces Rohit Paudel in One-Day Internationals (ODI). Lamichhane, who was removed as captain in 2022, will lead Nepal in the upcoming ACC Premier Cup, scheduled to be held in Malaysia between August 30 and September 12.
Lamichhane led Nepal in 18 T20 Internationals (T20I) and 14 ODIs in 2022 before he was replaced by Paudel. Overall, the leg-spinner has 154 ODI wickets, and in T20Is he has 142 scalps – the most for his country accross formats.
The 10-team event will be a 50-over event and will determine the two final teams that will play at the Asia Cup 2027. Nepal played in their first Asia Cup event in 2023, where they came up against India and Pakistan.
Squad for Asian Games announced
Airee, on the other hand, has been named captain for the Asian Games, between September 19 and October 4 in Japan. He took over from Paudel in April this year, after the T20 World Cup.
Nepal have done well in T20Is of late, qualifying for the last two T20 World Cups. In fact, they beat Scotland in the final match of the 2026 edition, and came very close to beating England. In 2024, though, they were just one run away from beating South Africa and also pushed Bangladesh close.
Nepal will be against nine other teams at the Asian Games, played at the Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
Nepal squad for ACC Premier Cup 2026: Sandeep Lamichhane (c), Aasif Sheikh, Arjun Kumal, Rohit Paudel, Dev Khanal, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bashir Ahmed, Ishan Pandey, Gulshan Jha, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Hemant Dhami, Sandeep Jora
Nepal squad for Asian Games 2026: Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Rohit Paudel, Kushal Bhurtel, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Malla, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Sher Malla, Sandeep Jora, Nandan Yadav, Lokesh Bam, Lalit Rajbanshi, Asif Sheikh, Aarif Sheikh
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