Sandeep Lamichhane, Former Nepal Captain & Ex-DC Star, Found Guilty In Rape Case

Sandeep Lamichhane, the former Nepal Captain, was found guilty in a rape case. He played for DC in IPL seasons 2018 and 2019.

Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane while leaving the field after his team's victory in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 Playoff match between Nepal and United Arab Emirates at Takashinga Cricket Club. (Files)

Source : Getty

Former captain of the Nepal cricket team leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was found guilty of rape by the Kathmandu District Court on Friday (December 29). A single judge bench hearing deemed the cricketer guilty. It was Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal who after examination of the case and the facts and evidences presented upheld the charged against the former Indian Premier League (IPL) star. The court though also noted that the victim was not a minor at the time of the crime.

It is pertinent to note that the charges were initially brought aganinst Lamichhane in September 2022 but the leg-spinner has continued to represent Nepal in international cricket while on bail pending the trial after a lower court order which mandated his detention was overturned by the country's Supreme Court in January 2023.

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It remains to be seen the sentence Lamichhane gets and a hearing on that will likely be held early next month. The tainted Nepal cricketer has featured in 51 ODIs, 52 T20Is scalping 112 and 98 wickets in them respectively. In addition, the 23-year-old plied his trade in the IPL for a couple of seasons, playing 3 matches in the 2018 season and 6 in the 2019 edition of the tournament. Playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC), the leggie picked 5 wickets in his debut season while taking 8 in the subsequent year.

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As soon as the media reports confirming Lamichhane's conviction in the rape case emerged, netizenz took to social media to share their reactions.

Quite an extraordinary fall from grace for somebody who was once the face of cricket in Nepal, if not the entire Associate world. https://t.co/CpCoSkTcJB

— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) December 29, 2023

Justice finally to the victim. But what a disgraceful end to a promising career.https://t.co/Fbw6XXAR6f

— tea_jeevi 🇮🇳 (@on_drive007) December 29, 2023