Nepal Triumphs in ACC Men's U16 East Zone Cup

By Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, July 6: Nepal emerged victorious in the ACC Men's U16 East Zone Cup 2025, defeating Singapore by 2 wickets in an exciting final on Saturday at the YSD UKM Oval in Bangi, Malaysia.

Batting first, Singapore posted a modest total of 113 runs before being bowled out for 113 in 40.5 overs. The top scorer for Singapore was Rohan Austin Arun with 23 runs, followed by Riaan Naik (15), Vedansh Gupta (12), and Akash Teja (10). However, the remaining Singaporean batsmen struggled to make significant contributions.

Nepal’s bowlers were exceptional in restricting Singapore to a small total. Abhay Yadav and Shushil Bahadur Rawal led the charge, each claiming 3 wickets. Shubham Khanal also played a key role, taking 2 wickets, while Bipin Prasad Sharma contributed with a single wicket.

In response, Nepal chased down the target of 114 runs comfortably, reaching 117 in 29 overs, losing 8 wickets along the way. Joy Thapa was the top scorer for Nepal with 24 runs, while Shiwansh Bajgain added 20 runs. Other notable contributions came from Shubham Khanal (18), Prashiddha Jaishi (17), and Parimarjan Yadav (13). Abhay Yadav made 10 runs, while Sugam Budhathoki and Sachin Bhatta added one run each.

Singapore’s Kapish Venkatraman was the standout bowler, claiming 4 wickets. Yuvaan Pandey supported with 2 wickets, and both Vedansh Gupta and Akash Teja took 1 wicket each.

Earlier in the match, Singapore won the toss and opted to bat, but Nepal’s bowlers dominated. They restricted Singapore to just 73 runs in 25 overs, with Shushil Bahadur Rawal taking 3 wickets, while Abhay Yadav and Shubham Khanal bagged 2 and 1 wickets, respectively. For Singapore, only Rohan Austin Arun (17) and captain Riaan Naik (15) reached double figures.

Nepal’s comprehensive win in the final secures their place as champions of the ACC Men's U16 East Zone Cup 2025.