Aasif century, Karan three-for seal Nepal’s Premier Cup title

KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates by 44 runs at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to win the ACC Men's Premier Cup 2026 and qualify for the 2027 Asia Cup.

Aasif Sheikh's 102 powered Nepal to 313/9 before Karan KC claimed 3/49 as UAE were bowled out for 269 in the final over.

Aasif, who was named Player of the Match, struck his second ODI century from 106 deliveries. He hit eight fours and four sixes during an innings that provided the foundation for Nepal’s title-winning total.

After captain Sandeep Lamichhane won the toss and elected to bat, Aasif shared a 97-run opening partnership with Arjun Kumal. Arjun scored 43 off 63 balls before being run out at the end of the 21st over.

Ishan Pandey made 13 before Aasif and Rohit Paudel added 68 for the third wicket. Rohit contributed 40 off 44 balls and later shared a 67-run partnership with Gulshan Jha.

Gulshan accelerated with 52 from 38 deliveries, striking three fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 136.84. Basir Ahamad then provided the final push with an unbeaten 15 from only four balls as Nepal reached 313/9.

Ibrar Ahmad took 4/62 for UAE, while Khuzaima Tanveer returned 2/62.

UAE began their chase aggressively through Tanish Suri, who struck 42 off 28 balls, but Nepal reduced them to 56/3 in the ninth over. Harpreet Singh made 33 before Rohit removed him with UAE on 103/4.

Rahul Chopra kept UAE in the contest with a century from 105 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. He shared an 87-run sixth-wicket partnership with Sohaib Khan, whose 52 off 57 balls revived the chase after UAE had slipped to 119/5.

The partnership ended when Lalit Rajbanshi dismissed Sohaib at 206/6. Khuzaima added 15 and helped Rahul take the score to 259, but Nepal struck three times for one run to leave UAE 260/9.

Karan led Nepal’s attack with three wickets from nine overs, while Lalit took 2/43 from his full allocation. Lamichhane, Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit and Gulshan claimed one wicket each as UAE’s resistance ended at 269.

Both teams played 144 dot balls, but Nepal’s greater boundary output proved decisive. Nepal struck 24 fours and nine sixes, compared with UAE’s 16 fours and ten sixes. Nepal recorded 33 boundaries and scored at 6.26 runs per over, while UAE managed 26 boundaries at 5.47.

Nepal also scored nine or more runs in 15 overs, almost twice UAE’s eight, illustrating how Aasif’s control and Gulshan’s acceleration created the difference.

The victory gave Nepal their second ACC Men’s Premier Cup title. They also defeated UAE in the inaugural final in 2023, bowling them out for 117 before completing a seven-wicket victory in Kirtipur. Gulshan’s unbeaten 67 in that final secured Nepal’s maiden Asia Cup appearance.

Three years later, Nepal overcame the same opponents with another Asia Cup place at stake. The victory confirmed their participation alongside India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the 2027 tournament.

Lamichhane was named Player of the Tournament after finishing as the competition’s leading wicket-taker. The Nepal captain collected 16 wickets at an average of 6.75 and an economy rate of 2.45, including best figures of 5/14.

Nepal won five of their six matches in Malaysia. They defeated Bahrain, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in the group stage, recovered from a 15-run loss against Hong Kong, and defended 147 by bowling Oman out for 60 in the semi-final.