NEW DELHI: Former Nepal cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane on Thursday lodged an appeal against his eight-year prison sentence for rape and was granted permission to stay out of jail during the ongoing legal proceedings.
Lamichhane, once a prominent figure in Nepal’s cricket scene and a successful leg-spinner, had significantly elevated the sport’s profile in the Himalayan republic.
The 23-year-old had been convicted of raping a young woman in December, and the subsequent month saw him receiving the sentenced.
“We have filed an appeal against the court’s decision,” his lawyer Saroj Ghimire told AFP.
Ghimire mentioned that the request for Lamichhane to stay out of custody during the appeal process had been approved.
Lamichhane initially failed to return from Jamaica, where he was playing in the Caribbean Premier League, after an arrest warrant was issued in 2022.
He was dismissed as national captain and arrested but Nepal lifted his playing ban after he was freed on bail.
This allowed him to remain on the national team, including for the World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 Asia Cup.
Lamichhane was a major part of this rise as the most sought-after Nepali cricketer in lucrative T20 franchise leagues around the world.
His big break came when he was snapped up for the Indian Premier League, the world’s richest cricket tournament, in 2018.
(With inputs from AFP)