KATHMANDU, Aug 22: A 15-member Nepali cricket squad has been announced on Thursday for the upcoming ACC U-19 Asia Cup Cricket to be held in Sri Lanka from September 5. 

Rohit Kumar Poudel will lead the team to Sri Lanka that comprises of Rit Gautam, Pawan Sarraf, Mohammad Asif Sheikh, Sandeep Jora, Bhim Sarki, Kushal Malla, Rashid Khan, Kamal Singh Airee and Surya Tamang. Similarly, Sagar Dhakal, Hari Bahadur Chauhan, Khadak Bohara, Lokesh Bam and Pratish Jisi are also in the team. 
 

A total of eight teams including Nepal are taking part in the tournament, which will run till September 14. According to the draws published by Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the participating eight teams are divided into two groups. Nepal is pitted in Group B which features four teams—Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the UAE.
 
Defending champions India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kuwait are in Group ‘A’.
 
The tournament will be played in the round-robin league. The two toppers from each of the groups will advance to semi-finals. 
 
Nepal will lock its horns with Sri Lanka in its first on September 6. Nepal will then take on Bangladesh and the UAE on September 8 and 10 respectively.
 
Nepal had booked its place in the tournament bagging the ACC U-19 Eastern Region in July earlier this year. Nepal had thrashed Hong Kong in the finals by six wickets to claim the title.  

 
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