Aasif Sheikh century, Gulshan Jha fifty lift Nepal to 313 in Premier Cup final

KATHMANDU: Aasif Sheikh struck a century and Gulshan Jha provided the late acceleration as Nepal posted 313/9 against the United Arab Emirates in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026 final at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval on Saturday.

After captain Sandeep Lamichhane won the toss and elected to bat, Aasif made 102 off 106 balls at a strike rate of 96.22. His innings included eight fours and four sixes.

Aasif and Arjun Kumal gave Nepal a strong start with a 97-run opening partnership from 126 balls. Arjun scored 43 off 63 deliveries, hitting six fours, before being run out at the end of the 21st over.

Ishan Pandey made 13 off 20 balls before Aasif and Rohit Paudel rebuilt the innings with a 68-run third-wicket partnership. Aasif completed his century but was dismissed by Haider Ali with Nepal on 191/3 in the 36th over.

Rohit and Gulshan then added 67 for the fourth wicket. Rohit contributed 40 off 44 balls before falling to Khuzaima Tanveer at 258/4 in the 45th over.

Gulshan continued the acceleration, reaching 52 from 38 deliveries at a strike rate of 136.84. The left-hander struck three fours and four sixes before Ibrar Ahmad removed him with Nepal on 273/5.

Nepal had reached 231/3 after 41 overs, giving them a platform for a substantial finish. They added 82 runs from the remaining nine overs at 9.11 runs per over but lost six wickets during that period.

Although the position raised the possibility of a total around 330, reaching 350 would have required Nepal to score 119 from the final 54 balls at 13.22 runs per over. The regular loss of wickets prevented them from fully maximising their strong foundation.

Sundeep Jora scored seven off five balls, while Dipendra Singh Airee made 18 off 18. Karan KC and Lamichhane were also dismissed during the closing stages before Basir Ahamad produced a rapid unbeaten 15 from four balls, hitting two fours and a six.

Ibrar was UAE's leading bowler with 4/62 from eight overs. Tanveer claimed 2/62, while Haider and Adeeb Usmani took one wicket each.

Nepal's scoring pattern was well balanced. Of their 292 runs off the bat, 156 came on the off side and 136 on the leg side. They scored 60 runs each through third man and cover, with those two areas producing 18 of Nepal's 33 boundaries.

The innings featured 24 fours and nine sixes, accounting for 150 runs. Nepal also collected 106 singles and 18 twos, adding another 142 runs through strike rotation. The remaining 21 came from extras.

UAE require 314 runs to win the final and secure the ACC Men's Premier Cup title.