Sandeep Lamichhane denied US visa, claims the Nepal cricketer | T20 World Cup 2024

There seems to be no end to Sandeep Lamichhane's troubles as despite being cleared of rape charges recently, the Neapl cricketer claimed that he was denied the US visa. He is now likely to miss the T20 World Cup in June.

Lamichhane tweeted on Wednesday, saying that the US Embassy in Nepal has denied him the visa for the T20 World Cup happening in USA and the Caribbean. 'Unfortunate. I am sorry to all the well-wishers of Nepal Cricket,' he wrote.

Lamichhane also pointed out an incident back in 2019 when he was denied a visa for CPL. "Being a National Cricket Player representing my country in the various leagues since 2016 around the world, I got big surprise to see my visa got rejected," he had then tweeted.

An appeal court in Nepal had recently cleared the country's most successful cricketer of rape charges.

"He has been set free by the law, and we are happy for him. He was sentenced to jail by the lower courts, but today the high court set him free. We have removed the suspension as well, and we have time until the 25th to include him in the World Cup squad," Nepal board president Bahdur said.

"I will talk to the selection committee and will also write to the ICC. After taking permission from the technical committee, we will add him to the squad. I am trying my best; let's hope for the best," it added.

The 23-year-old all-rounder, who had his conviction quashed, had previously been sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexual assault after a lower court found him guilty of raping an 18-year-old. Lamichhane was also suspended by the country's cricket body after that.

However, Lamichhane claimed innocence before his arrest and called the allegations a "conspiracy".

Lamichhane has scalped over 100 wickets in more than 103 white-ball matches for Nepal.

He has also had a brief stint in the Indian Premier League with the Delhi Capitals between 2018-20, bagging 13 wickets in nine fixtures.