Nepali cricket team heads to Hong Kong for Four-Nation T20I Series

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 8: The Nepali men's national cricket team is set to compete in the four-nation Twenty20 International Series in Hong Kong. The team departed for Hong Kong on Monday. The Hong Kong Men's T20I Series 2025 will take place from April 9 to 13.

Speaking at the farewell program organized by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), Captain Rohit Paudel shared that the team’s preparation for the series had gone well. He expressed optimism about returning home victorious by delivering their best performance.

"The team looks well-balanced, especially with the return of Basir Ahmed, Lokesh Bam, and Nandan Yadav. Their strong performances in the Nepal Premier League and domestic tournaments have strengthened the squad. This series will also serve as great preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. We are determined to play well,” Rohit said.

CAN Vice President Roshan Singh Raut and other officials bid farewell to the team during the event.

The team will be coached by Gyanendra Malla for this series, starting Wednesday. Since newly-appointed head coach Stuart Law has not yet joined the team in Nepal, the responsibility for coaching has been handed over to Malla for this series.

Malla expressed gratitude to CAN for trusting him with the role and stated that it is a matter of pride for him. He added that the players have been supportive, making the transition easier.

Despite just five days of preparation after the Prime Minister's Cup, Malla believes the team is in rhythm and ready to aim for victory. He also noted that playing a T20 series after a long gap would benefit their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup qualifiers in September.

Nepal will face Kuwait, Qatar, and host Hong Kong in the series. The team last played a T20 series in October, defeating the USA 3-0. This will be Nepal's first T20 series since then.

Nepal’s opening match in the series will be against the Qatar on Wednesday. Nepal will take on Kuwait on April 10 and will met against Host on April 12.

Squad:  Rohit Paudel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lokesh Bam, Basir Ahmed, Dipendra Singh AIree, Kushal Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Shahab Alam, Nandan Yadav, Rijan Dhakal and Gulshan Jha.