Cricket Kitchen

Nepal Shine on Sandeep’s 5 Wicket Haul, Thrash Bahrain by 7 Wickets

September 1, 2026

Nepal secured a 7 wickets victory over Bahrain in their second match of Group A in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026. Chasing a modest target of 88 runs set by Bahrain, Nepal reached 88 for 3 in 21 overs, winning the match with 174 balls to spare. With this victory, Nepal earned an important 2 points in the tournament.

The biggest contribution to Nepal’s victory came from captain and leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane. Leading the team in his second stint as captain, Lamichhane produced a sensational bowling performance, taking 5 wickets for just 14 runs in his 10 overs. His economy rate was an impressive 1.40. He received excellent support from Karan KC and Lalit Rajbanshi. Karan claimed 2 wickets, while Lalit took 3 wickets. Although Dipendra Singh Airee and Hemant Dhami were unable to take wickets, both bowled economically.

After winning the toss, Nepal elected to field first. The decision was quickly justified by the Nepalese bowlers, who kept Bahrain’s batting lineup under pressure from the very beginning. Bahrain was bowled out for just 87 runs in 36.2 overs.

For Bahrain, Fiaz Ahmed was the top scorer with 15 runs. He hit 2 fours and 1 six from 15 balls. Muhammad Wasim scored 13 runs from 27 balls, while Prashant Kurup added 10 runs from 28 balls. None of the other Bahrain batters managed to reach double figures.

For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane led the bowling attack and dismantled Bahrain’s innings with an outstanding spell. He took 5 wickets for 14 runs in 10 overs, including 4 maiden overs. Lalit Rajbanshi took 3 wickets for 20 runs in 6.2 overs, while Karan KC claimed 2 wickets for 14 runs in 8 overs.

Dipendra Singh Airee bowled 6 overs and conceded 15 runs without taking a wicket, while also delivering 2 maiden overs. Hemant Dhami conceded 15 runs in 4 overs and bowled 1 maiden over. Gulsan Jha was also highly economical, conceding just 4 runs in his 2 overs.

Chasing the easy target of 88 runs, Nepal reached 88 for 3 in 21 overs. Arjun Kumal remained unbeaten on 36 runs. He faced 58 balls and struck 5 fours.

Rohit Paudel provided an aggressive finish, remaining unbeaten on 19 runs from just 14 balls. He hit 1 four and 1 six.

Opening batter Aasif Sheikh scored 18 runs from 25 balls, including 2 fours and 1 six. He was caught by Ali Dawood off the bowling of Imran Anwar.

Dev Khanal scored 10 runs from 19 balls before being dismissed, while Ishan Pandey scored just 1 run from 10 balls and was run out.

Nepal lost its first wicket at 39 runs when Aasif Sheikh was dismissed. The second wicket fell at 55 runs in the form of Dev Khanal, while Ishan Pandey was run out at 58. After that, captain Rohit Paudel and Arjun Kumal remained unbeaten and guided Nepal to victory without any further loss of wickets.

Among Bahrain’s bowlers, Imran Anwar took 2 wickets for 20 runs in 6 overs. Abdul Majid conceded 27 runs in 7 overs, including 2 maiden overs. Ali Dawood conceded 21 runs in 4 overs, Rizwan Butt gave away 11 runs in 3 overs, while Aasif Sheikh conceded 6 runs in his only over.

With this comprehensive 7-wicket victory over Bahrain, Nepal secured an important 2 points in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026.