Nepal cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane suspended over rape allegations

Kathmandu: Nepal cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane suspended over rape allegations.

A Nepali court issued an arrest warrant Thursday for Nepal cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane, police said, after a 17-year-old girl accused him of rape. Sandeep Lamichhane, 22, has been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in mountainous Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018 but remains a long way from contesting a World Cup. The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for the money-spinning Indian Premier League in 2018, and he has since been the most sought-after Nepali cricket player in international T20 leagues.

A 17-year-old girl, along with a guardian, filed a complaint against the player earlier this week, alleging that he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu last month after they met and went out.

Lamichhane is currently playing for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League being held across the West Indies. His latest Instagram post, posted three days ago, was tagged at a hotel in St Lucia.