Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane lands BBL contract with Melbourne Stars

Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will be joining the Melbourne Stars for the upcoming edition of Australia’s T20 tournament the Big Bash League. The 18-year-old’s stint with the Stars will be divided into two parts. He will join the squad by December 10 and will be available for matches, before leaving to play the full season of the Bangladesh Premier League on January 5. He will subsequently return to Australia for the remaining BBL games.

In January this year, Lamichhane made history by becoming the first cricketer from Nepal to feature in the IPL when he was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils. Soon after, he became a sought-after commodity in T20 leagues around the world. He went on to land a contract in major leagues such as the Caribbean Premier League, the Global T20 Canada, as well as the Bangladesh Premier League. Now he’s added the BBL feather to his cap as well. He will also be the first player from an Associate nation to play the BBL.

Sandeep Lamicchane’s journey to T20 globetrotting

Interestingly, Lamichhane has had the experience of playing grade cricket in Australia in 2016. In November 2015, the young leg-spinner who was fifteen back then was recruited to play for the Kowloon Cantons at the inaugural Hong Kong T20 Blitz in the following year. It was there that he crossed paths with former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who was mighty impressed with the spinner’s talent. He then invited Lamicchane to come to Sydney for the following Australian summer to play club cricket under Clarke’s watchful eye.

The Nepal star first came to the limelight at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, where he was the second highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps in six games. Earlier this year, the leggie bagged a total of 13 wickets in the ICC World Cup Qualifier, playing a pivotal role in helping Nepal gain ODI status for the first time. He was also named in the World XI squad that played the Windies at Lord’s on May 31, in a match to raise funds following a hurricane that battered the Caribbean islands.

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