Nepali National Cricket Team to Tour Sri Lanka
April 29, 2025Nepali National Cricket Team to Tour Sri Lanka for Preparatory Matches | Three Players Dropped from Squad
After completing a two-week training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, India, the Nepali national cricket team is now set to embark on an official tour of Sri Lanka. The tour, which will span from September 2 to September 9, includes a series of one-day practice matches and training sessions aimed at sharpening the team’s readiness for upcoming international fixtures.
During the 8-day tour, Nepal will face the Sri Lanka Development Squad in three 50-over matches scheduled for September 3, 5, and 7. Additionally, the team will undergo training and various preparatory activities on September 2, 4, 6, and 8. All matches will begin at 9:30 AM local time. Notably, this is the same development squad that the Nepali women’s national team faced before their ACC Women’s Asia Cup campaign.
For this tour, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced a 19-member squad. This squad was finalized after trimming down the earlier 22-player preliminary list. Spinner and all-rounder Basir Ahmad, fast bowler Kamal Singh Airee, and left-arm orthodox spinner and left-handed batter Suryan Tamang were dropped from the squad heading to Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, both team captain Rohit Kumar Paudel and star all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee—currently in Canada—are confirmed to travel to Sri Lanka for the preparatory matches.
The Sri Lanka Development Squad is expected to pose a strong challenge, consisting of players from the Lanka Premier League, the Sri Lanka Emerging Team, and the U-19 national team. Earlier this year, the same squad clean-swept Uganda in a 7-match T20 series and has previously played four-day matches against top county clubs like Somerset and Surrey in England.
Following the Sri Lanka tour, Nepal will return home briefly before heading to Canada for the next round of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. There, Nepal will face hosts Canada and Oman. Nepal had started their League 2 campaign on home soil but managed to win just one of their four matches, currently sitting in 7th place with two points.
Nepal’s 19-member squad for the Sri Lanka tour:
Rohit Kumar Paudel (Captain), Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Sompal Kami, Lalit Rajbanshi, Dev Khanal, Aarif Sheikh, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Anil Sah, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Aakash Chand, Rijan Dhakal, Sandeep Jora, Arjun Saud, Sagar Dhakal, Sandeep Lamichhane
Photo: CAN
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