A 17 years old kid was ready to bowl a first ball for Delhi Daredevils (DD) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) of 2018. DD were already out of IPL and they were playing that match for honour. Delhi’s fall was that kid’s opportunity to shine. The kid was thin but looked confident. He took a short run-up, and released the ball that spun sharply which, batsmen dealt defensively.
He was Sandeep Lamichhane, the first ever cricketer from Nepal to play the cash rich, global cricket extravaganza called IPL. He is not from a ICC full-member nation, has never played test cricket and had not played One Day Internationals (ODIs). He created history with that ball. After that day, he has not look back. He went on to become the teenage prodigy, proudly representing Nepal and ICC associate member nations in many other T20 franchise leagues all around the world.Such was his craze in 2018, he played in 8 countries in a span of 9 months. He has been growing in confidence, each tournament he participated, each batsman he faced and every wicket he took.
Let’s see where he played in 2018 after he debuted in IPL in May 2018.Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 - 3 matches 5 wicketsGlobal T20 Canada - 4 matches 5 wicketsCaribbean Premier League (CPL)- 5 matches 7 wicketsAfghanistan Premier League (APL) -1 match 2 wicketsT10 league - 3 matches 6 wicketsBig Bash League (BBL) Australia - 4 matches 8 wicketsBangladesh Premier League (BPL) - 2 matches 2 wickets - ongoingSandeep is slated to play in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League(IPL) in 2019. Amidst all this, he has not missed his national duty and was the highest wicket taker with 17 wickets in ICC World Cricket League Division two. He has also played two ODIs against Netherland. In 2019, right after BPL, he will also play three ODIs and three T20s against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
What’s the message for youngsters?
The message here is not about Sandeep Lamichhane and his rise in international cricket leagues. The message here is of hope, courage and dream. If you really want to achieve something you care about, nobody can stop you from achieving it. Hard work pays off and dedication matters. He is a story of rags to riches. A role model to any dreamer.Having said that, I have high hopes from him.
- Hope he always remain grounded as a player because it is really easy to forget where you come from and get swayed away. I don’t want him to live in the bubble and wish him to be humble.
- Hope he can be a role model to kids who want to play cricket and make it big but don’t have enough resources and infrastructure. Kids can look up to him to be motivated to work hard.
- Hope he can prove that talent exists outside of traditional cricket playing territory. He can further prove that associate nations are not pushovers and they also need equal footing in terms of attention and competition.
- Hope he can help Nepal cricket team to achieve what we have been longing for years. Hope he can influence decisions to create better cricketing environment and raise awareness around sidelined cricketing nations.
- Hope he will prosper further in his career as a cricket player and achieve much more.
This is a story of an underdog who rose against all odds, the anonymity, the difficulties and expectation.I am proud as a cricket fan to follow Sandeep and his amazing journey.