Lamichhane five-for sets up Nepal win as Arjun Kumal completes chase

Sandeep Lamichhane claimed five wickets before Arjun Kumal guided Nepal to a seven-wicket victory over Bahrain in their opening match of the ACC Men's Premier Cup at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval in Bangi on Monday.

Lamichhane returned 5 for 14 from ten overs as Bahrain were dismissed for 87 in 36.2 overs. Nepal completed the chase at 88 for three in 21 overs, with Kumal unbeaten on 36 from 58 balls.

The victory gave Nepal a successful start to their Group A campaign in the 50-over competition, whose winner will qualify for the 2027 Men's Asia Cup.

Lamichhane leads Bahrain collapse

Karan KC gave Nepal an early breakthrough by bowling Asif Ali for four with the score on six.

Fiaz Ahmed attempted to counterattack, hitting two fours and a six in his 15 from 15 balls, but Karan had him caught by Hemant Dhami. Lalit Rajbanshi then had Prashant Kurup stumped by Aasif Sheikh for nine, leaving Bahrain 29 for three.

Lamichhane took control after the early strikes. He bowled Ahmer Bin Nasir for two and had Shujaat Rasool stumped for the same score before bowling Imran Anwar for nine.

The Nepal captain completed his five-wicket haul by trapping Asif Shaikh and Rizwan Butt lbw. His ten-over spell included four maidens and cost only 14 runs, giving him an economy rate of 1.40.

Muhammad Wasim made 13 before Rajbanshi bowled him, while Ali Dawood scored 10 during a 17-run final-wicket partnership with Abdul Majid.

Rajbanshi ended the innings when Dawood was caught by Karan, finishing with 3 for 20 from 6.2 overs. Karan took 2 for 14 from eight overs, including four maidens.

Majid remained unbeaten on eight from 58 deliveries. Bahrain’s 12 extras were their fourth-highest contribution as no batter reached 20.

Arjun Kumal anchors Nepal's chase

Kumal and Aasif gave Nepal a steady start, adding 39 runs from 64 balls for the first wicket.

Aasif scored 18 from 25 deliveries, striking two fours and a six, before he was caught by Ali Dawood off Imran Javed Anwar.

Dev Khanal added 10 from 19 balls and shared a 16-run second-wicket partnership with Kumal. Anwar removed Khanal with the score on 55, having him caught by Shujaat Rasool Khan.

Ishan Pandey was run out for one three runs later, briefly reducing Nepal to 58 for three in the 17th over.

Rohit Paudel ensured there would be no further setback. He struck an unbeaten 19 from 14 balls, including one four and one six, as Nepal scored the remaining 30 runs without losing another wicket.

Kumal finished with five fours in his unbeaten 36. His 30-run unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Paudel came from 26 deliveries and carried Nepal to victory with 29 overs remaining.

Anwar was Bahrain's only successful bowler, taking 2 for 20 from six overs.

Nepal will next face hosts Malaysia at the same venue on September 3 before completing their group campaign against Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.