Nepal qualify for Men's Asia Cup 2027 with ACC Premier Cup title victory

KUALA LUMPUR: Nepal have booked their spot in next year's Men's Asia Cup, set to be held in Bangladesh, by registering a 44-run victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final of the ACC Men's Premier Cup here at the Bayuemas Oval on Saturday.

The associate nation joins defending champions India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at next year's continental tournament, which will be played in the ODI format.

Their participation in next year's ACC Men's Asia Cup will be their second, with the first coming in the 2023 edition, which was held in Sri Lanka.

Opting to bat first in the aforementioned high-stakes fixture, the home side piled up a formidable total of 313/9 in their 50 overs, courtesy of Aasif Sheikh's anchoring century and Gulshan Jha's blistering fifty.

The experienced wicketkeeper batter remained the top-scorer for Nepal with 102 off 106 deliveries, studded with eight fours and four sixes, while Jha made a 38-ball 52, laced with seven boundaries, including four sixes.

Besides them, opener Arjun Kumal and former captain Rohit Paudel made valuable contributions to Nepal's total, scoring 43 and 40, respectively.

Ibrar Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers for UAE as he bagged four wickets for 62 runs in his eight overs, followed by Khuzaima Tanveer with two, while Haider Ali and Adeeb Usmani made one scalp apiece.

Set to chase a daunting 314-run target, the UAE could muster 269 before getting bowled out in 49.1 overs despite Rahul Chopra's unbeaten century.

The middle-order batter remained their top-scorer with an unbeaten 100 off 105 deliveries, comprising four sixes and three fours. He also shared a crucial 87-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Sohaib Khan, who made a 57-ball 52 with the help of four fours and two sixes.

Karan KC spearheaded Nepal's bowling charge in the summit clash by taking three wickets for 49 runs in his nine overs, followed by Lalit Rajbanshi with two, while Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Paudel, Jha and captain Sandeep Lamichhane chipped in with one scalp apiece.