Sandeep Lamichhane is no new name for the cricket world. He is an emerging star who plays for Nepal and is playing different cricket leagues worldwide.
Recently, Lamichhane has returned to Nepal from Dubai, where he went to play for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
At 20 years of age, Lamichhane has shown his magical skills in some of the biggest T20 cricket franchise leagues.
He has taken 117 wickets in 88 T20 games.
IPL Performance
In 2018, Delhi Capitals signed the first-ever Nepali player, Sandeep Lamichhane, to play IPL. But the team didn’t give him many chances to show his bowling.
Lamichhane played three matches in the 2018 season and took five wickets. In the next season, he played six matches and took eight wickets. His bowling actions, googly techniques remained an enigma for the opponent batsmen.
However, he was limited to the bench in the 2020 season. 2020 IPL finalists, Delhi Capitals, did not give him any chance to play matches in the IPL.
This incident has raised doubts and anger over many Nepali fans, who expected to see Sandeep Lamichhane playing fourth time in the IPL.
When R. Ashwin and Amit Mishra got serious injuries, Nepali fans hoped Delhi would allow him to play. But that didn’t happen. Yet, it doesn’t mean he is not a good bowler. Cricketers like Mitchell McClenaghan, Chris Lynn, Andrew Tye also spent the entire season in the dugout.
Spellbinding Career in Other Leagues
Nepali cricketers are still behind the phase of entering the international level. But Sandeep Lamichhane showed some hopes—getting selected to play for other international T20 franchise leagues.
Overall, he has played 20 matches in the Big Bash League, taking 26 wickets with an economy rate of 7.27. Lamichhane’s performance is also impressive in the Caribbean league too.
He is now preparing to go to Australia to play the Big Bash T20 League, which is set for December 10.
Previously, Sandeep was playing for Melbourne Stars, but in 2020, he will play for another team.
It is not confirmed yet, but according to the Daily Mail, Lamichhane is expected to play for Hobart Hurricanes.
Sandeep Lamichhane’s Future
Lamichhane has played many matches that any cricketer from the Associate nation would dream for. He is still in the early phase of his career.
After starting to play cricket, he has not stopped. Also, the odds are in his favor because he has not suffered any serious injuries. Lamichhane can continue playing cricket for more than ten years.
Every player in their career suffers from bad forms, injuries, and other reasons which harm their cricket career. But it doesn’t mean creating records and achieving success is impossible. Lamichhane is on the way to become an iconic player. He needs to carve himself a little more.
The Story Will Go On
This year, Sandeep Lamichhane has learned an important lesson while playing with Delhi. He had to remain patient and test him by staying in the dugout.
Only he knows the pain of staying on the bench in one of the biggest tournaments in the world. However, Lamichhane doesn’t seem demotivated.
On November 12, he tweeted, “The story is not over, slowly it is starting.” Sandeep wants to forget the IPL and continue training for the upcoming tournament.
कथा सकिएको छैन, बिस्तारै सुरु हुदै छ।
— Sandeep Lamichhane (@Sandeep25) November 12, 2020
Deserving players don’t need to prove themselves. Players like Lamichhane will eventually gain their heights through their performance. It’s just the time which they need. Let us hope Lamichhane continues to inspire other Nepali cricket players and take Nepal cricket to greater heights in the coming days.