Editorial photo #12769753 Social Issue

Farewell For Nepali National Cricket Team Set To Face West Indies For Unity Cup

Gyanendra Malla, head coach of the Nepali cricket team, addresses the farewell ceremony for the Nepali national cricket team set to face West Indies for the Unity Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 18, 2025. The upcoming series, in which the matches are played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on September 27, 29, and 30, is named the 'Unity Cup' by the CAN. According to the CAN, the name for the series is decided in honor of the lives lost during the youth-led protests on September 8 and 9. The Cricket Association of Nepal announces a 16-member team. The squad is captained by Rohit Kumar Paudel with the world's No. 3 T20I all-rounder, Dipendra Singh Airee, as the vice-captain. Left-arm spinner Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, who was bereaved of his mother last month and missed the Top End T20 Series and five friendlies in Australia, also returns to action. Rajbanshi has 29 wickets in his 31 appearances for the Rhinos in T20Is, making him the sixth-most wicket-taker for the national side in the shortest format. The other members in the squad include Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lokesh Bam, Kushal Malla, Mohammad Adil Alam, Aarif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Gulsan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Shahab Alam. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)