Once accused of rape, now this cricketer has become the captain of the country.

There was a big change in Nepal cricket. On Monday (August 10), the cricket board announced a 14-member squad for the ACC Premier League, with the biggest change being the captain. 26-year-old spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was made the new captain of the ODI team. He replaced Rohit Paudel. Rohit was leading the team in the format from 2022. He has just stepped down from the captaincy, his place as a player in the team remains.

This is the same Sandeep Lamichhane who was once accused of rape. In December 2023, a lower court in Nepal convicted Sandeep in the rape case. In January 2024, the Nepali cricketer was also sentenced to 8 years. After this, Nepal Cricket suspended Sandeep from international and domestic cricket.

In May 2024, Nepal's Patan High Court acquitted Sandeep Lamichhane of the rape charge. Along with this, the Nepal Cricket Board also lifted the suspension imposed on him. In this way, he once again returned to cricket and now he has become the captain of the team again.

Sandeep Lamichhane steps in as Nepal’ s new ODI Captain, leading the side at the ACC Men’ s Premier Cup. 🇳🇵#NepalCricket pic.twitter.com/RjYttLOFzK

— CAN (@CricketNep) August 10, 2026

Have captained Nepal before?

Sandeep Lamichhane's International Career";

Nepal's squad for ACC Premier League;"

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