Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane’s new home for Apr – May 2018 will be the Kotla with Delhi Daredevils in India, where he will be based during 2018 VIVO IPL.
Delhi Daredevils owner, Hemant Dua congratulated Sandeep after he was picked by the franchise in 2018 IPL Auctions held in Bengaluru, India.
Dua revealed that picking of Sandeep was not a one-time exercise and that the team management were following his progress since 2016.
“We have scouts who follow just the (ICC) associate (member) teams. We saw him at the 2016 U-19 World Cup as well. Then he went to Australia. We were tracking him, and called him for a trial before the (2018 IPL) auction,” Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua told the Indian Express, revealing that Lamichhane first came onto the radar of his franchise in 2016.
“We were tracking him … so we called him for a specific trial, just him. He just bowled in the nets and we saw him. We wanted to keep it a little hush hush, because there are very few good (young) spinners around. We got his videos and shared that with the Team.”
“Everybody liked him. Ponting saw his bowling and gave his approval. He is only 17, and he bowls really well, turns it really well. He has control with his faster ball as well,” Dua added.
Sandeep was an integral part of Nepal’s campaign in 2016 ICC U19 World Cup in Bangladesh, following which he got the opportunity to play alongside Michael Clarke for Kowloon Cantons in 2016 HKT20 Blitz. A stint with Western Suburbs in Sydney followed thereafter towards the end of the year in professional grade level cricket in Australia.
