Nepal suffer 15-run defeat to Hong Kong despite Ishan Pandey's 90

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 8, 2026 — Nepal suffered a 15-run defeat against Hong Kong in the ACC Men's Premier Cup in Malaysia on Tuesday despite a fighting 90-run innings from Ishan Pandey.

Chasing a target of 262 at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Nepal were bowled out for 246 in 49.1 overs.

Pandey top-scored for Nepal with 90 runs, while Aasif Sheikh contributed 44. Dipendra Singh Airee made 25, Karan KC scored 21 and Gulshan Jha added 20.

For Hong Kong, Aizaz Khan was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets. Yasim Murtaza claimed two wickets, while Kinchit Devang Singh, Nusrulla Rana and Atik-ul-Iqbal took one wicket each.

Earlier, Hong Kong scored 261 for seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Babar Hayat led Hong Kong's innings with an unbeaten 117, including seven fours and seven sixes. Shahid Wasif scored 45, while Zeeshan Ali made 15 and Ehsan Khan remained unbeaten on 35.

For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane took four wickets and Sher Malla claimed three.

Despite the defeat, Nepal had already secured a place in the semifinals after recording victories over Bahrain, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia during the group stage.

Nepal finished as the Group A winners and will face Oman in the semifinal on Thursday. In the other semifinal, Hong Kong will play the United Arab Emirates.