Nepal spinner Sandeep Lamichhane faced a suspension on Thursday from the country’s cricket body following an eight-year prison sentence for raping an 18-year-old woman. The verdict, announced by the Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday, prompted the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to release a statement today addressing the situation.
In their official statement, the CAN declared, “We inform you that Sandeep Lamichhane has been suspended from any kind of domestic and international cricket activities as he has been convicted and sentenced.”
A single-judge bench not only sentenced the 23-year-old cricketer to eight years in prison but also imposed a Rs 3,00,000 fine. Additionally, Lamichhane was directed to pay Rs 2,00,000 as compensation to the victim.
Saroj Ghimire, Lamichhane’s lawyer, indicated that the cricketer intends to appeal the decision in a higher court. This legal development comes after an arrest warrant was issued in September last year by the Kathmandu police, leading to Lamichhane’s suspension as the captain of Nepal by the Cricket Association of Nepal.
Despite playing in the Caribbean Premier League for Jamaica Tallawahs, Lamichhane was immediately released by the franchise upon the issuance of the arrest warrant. He returned to Kathmandu and was subsequently arrested.
Before his arrest, Lamichhane maintained his innocence, dismissing the allegations as a “conspiracy.” The Nepal spinner boasts an impressive record of over 100 wickets in more than 103 white-ball matches for Nepal. He also had a brief stint in the Indian Premier League with the Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2020, securing 13 wickets in nine fixtures.
