Nepal crowned champions

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, June 9: Nepal were declared champions of the Asian Games Men's Qualifier 2026 after defeating Hong Kong by 19 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a rain-affected final at the Singa Oval on Sunday.

Chasing a their highest target of 189, Nepal had reached 114-2 after 11.3 overs when incessant rain interrupted play. With no further action possible, the match was abandoned, and the Rhinos were crowned winners having surged well ahead of the required DLS par score at the stoppage point.

When the rain came into play, Rohit Paudel was unbeaten on a 24-ball 35, featuring three boundaries and a six, alongside skipper Dipendra Singh Airee, who was on nine from four deliveries in his milestone 100th T20I appearance.

Earlier, Kushal Bhurtel had once again anchored the chase with a blistering 65 off 40 balls. The explosive opener struck eight fours and three maximums before holing himself out to Yasim Murtaza off Ehsan Khan. 

Bhurtel, who was later named Player of the Series, finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 340 runs across four matches. 

His tournament highlights included a 43-ball 129 against China and a 54-ball 126 against Malaysia, making him the first Nepali batsman to score back-to-back T20I centuries. He also entered the record books by smashing six sixes in an over against China.

Nepal had suffered an early setback in run chase when opener Aasif Sheikh was dismissed for a duck by Ayush Shukla with 40 runs on the board in the third over. 

However, Bhurtel and Paudel steadied the ship with a fluent 63-run partnership for the second wicket. Following Bhurtel's dismissal, Paudel and captain Airee kept Nepal safely ahead of the required DLS run rate until the elements intervened.

Earlier, having been asked to bat first, Hong Kong posted a competitive total of 188-7. Opener Anshuman Rath top-scored with a belligerent 80 off 45 balls, clearing the rope six times alongside six boundaries.

Hong Kong's innings had stuttered early on, losing Nizakat Khan for two and Babar Hayat for a duck. 

Rath, however, resurrected the innings, sharing a 48-run stand with Shiv Mathur before putting on a devastating 84-run partnership off just 39 deliveries with Shahid Wasif for the fourth wicket. Wasif chipped in with a rapid 55 off 28 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. Meanwhile, captain Yasim Murtaza managed nine, and Nasrulla Rana added eight.

Off-spinner Sher Malla was the pick of the Nepali attack, returning excellent figures of 4-32 from his four overs. 

Malla was named Player of the match in the final. Seamer Karan KC claimed 2-45, while leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane picked up 1-28.

Nepal had advanced to the final after thumping Oman by eight wickets in the semi-finals, while Hong Kong booked their showpiece spot with a six-wicket victory over Malaysia.

By virtue of reaching the last four, Nepal had already assured themselves of qualification for the Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan, this September.

Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman have all qualified for the Asian Games via this tournament, where they will join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and hosts Japan in the main draw.