Selangor, Malaysia, September 6, 2026 — Nepal's national cricket team has advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Premier Cup One-Day Tournament with a match to spare after defeating Saudi Arabia by five wickets in their Group A encounter on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 191 runs at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Nepal reached 191 for five in 41 overs to secure its third consecutive victory in the tournament and confirm its place in the semifinals.
Gulsan Jha remained unbeaten on 44 runs to guide Nepal to victory, while Ishan Pandey scored 40 and Dev Khanal contributed 39. Captain Rohit Paudel also remained unbeaten on 24 runs.
Aasif Sheikh added 20 runs, while Arjun Kumal scored 15.
For Saudi Arabia, Ishtiaq Ahmad and Muhammad Atif took two wickets each.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia won the toss and elected to bat first but was bowled out for 190 runs in 49.2 overs.
Nepal defeated Oman by 10 runs in Al Amerat on October 19, 2026, finishing sixth in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 with 30 points from 36 matches.
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Nepal defeated Oman by 113 runs in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 on Tuesday, scoring 263 for eight before bowling Oman out for 150.
13-OCT-2026 08:34 PM
Nepal lost to Hong Kong by 15 runs in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup in Malaysia despite Ishan Pandey’s 90, but advanced as Group A winners to face Oman in Thursday’s semifinal.
08-SEP-2026 05:45 PM
Nepal defeated host Malaysia by six wickets in the ACC Premier Cup, securing a second consecutive victory after chasing 104 runs in 21.4 overs at Bangi.
03-SEP-2026 01:54 PM
Karan KC took four wickets for 23 runs as Nepal bowled Malaysia out for 103 in the ACC Premier Cup, leaving Nepal 104 runs to secure consecutive victories.
03-SEP-2026 12:00 PM
Cricket Association of Nepal reinstated Sandeep Lamichhane as ODI captain and named a revamped 14-member squad for the ACC Men’s Premier Cup after Nepal’s 4-0 League 2 defeat.
11-AUG-2026 02:15 PM
Abdul Wahid was the standout performer for Saudi Arabia, scoring 77 runs from 89 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes. Muhammad Atif contributed 30 runs, while Usman Najeeb added 28.
Nepal's bowlers once again produced a disciplined performance. Captain Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee took three wickets each, while Lalit Rajbanshi claimed two wickets. Gulsan Jha and Sher Malla took one wicket apiece.
Nepal had begun its campaign with a seven-wicket victory over Bahrain before defeating host Malaysia by six wickets in its second match.
With three consecutive victories, Nepal has now secured a place in the semifinals with one group-stage match remaining.
Nepal will conclude its Group A campaign against Hong Kong on Tuesday.