Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane has been acquitted by the Patan High Court on Wednesday in a rape case, overturning the previous verdict from the Kathmandu District Court that sentenced him to eight years in jail in January. This development clears Lamichhane’s availability for the T20 World Cup squad after he was declared innocent.

Despite Nepal already announcing their 15-player squad led by Rohit Paudel, there is a possibility of Lamichhane being selected, as teams have until May 25 to make changes to their squads according to ICC rules.

The court ruled in favor of Lamichhane, finding him innocent of raping a woman identified as Gushala-26 in a hotel in Tilganga on August 21, 2022. Senior advocates Ram Narayan Bidari, Raman Shrestha, Shambu Thapa, Murari Sapkota, and Krishna Sapkota presented arguments on behalf of Lamichhane, challenging the Kathmandu District Court’s verdict.

The proceedings, which began on Tuesday, concluded on Wednesday, resulting in a favorable outcome for the 23-year-old cricketer. Lamichhane, who has represented Nepal in 52 T20I matches and taken 98 wickets, will be a key player for Nepal’s T20 World Cup campaign as they kick off against The Netherlands on June 4 at Texan.