National cricket team’s leg spinning sensation is probably the biggest name in Pulsar Sports Award’s People’s Choice category which will be decided through voting.
The 17-year old Lamichhane has to see off the challenge from footballer Kiran Chemjong, spiker Maan Bahadur Shrestha, table tennis player Santoo Shrestha and golfer Pratima Sherpa. NSJF has tied up with THT Live 37722 as its official voting partner. While the SMS will carry 50 percent of weightage, voting from NSJF members and coaches from different sports disciplines will carry 25 percent each.
Lamichhane, nominated for the second time in the category in last three years, has seen a meteoric rise in his playing career since he hit global limelight through the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. The year 2017-18 was special for the teen leggie after he performed consistently with the ball and earned global recognition after he was associated with world cricket’s most expensive Twenty20 competition Indian Premier League (IPL).
The limelight that had eluded Lamichhane for one year returned at the beginning of last Nepali year after he was listed among draft players for the Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League. He was not picked up in any of the two tournaments though. His name in the two franchise tournaments preceded by his impressive performance in three age-group tournaments.
Lamichhane took 49 wickets for the U-19 national team collectively in ACC U-19 Asia Cup, ICC Asia U-19 World Cup Qualifier and ACC U-19 Eastern Region cricket tournaments.
The turning point of the year came when he was snapped up by IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils for IRs 2 million making him the first ever Nepali cricketer to feature in the glitziest cricket tournament of the world. The deal made Lamichhane the hot property for global media who followed him with a widespread coverage.
After the IPL association, Lamichhane gave a crucial performance for Nepal picking up 17 wickets in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia where he was adjudged the player-of-the-series. His figures of 5-20 from 10 overs against Kenya in Namibia is the best bowling figures for Nepal in its List ‘A’ cricket history.
Nepal then left for Zimbabwe to participate in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers where Lamichhane took 13 wickets. Out of the 84 wickets he took in a single year, 35 came for the senior national team. His global reach extended further after he was roped in by Caribbean Premier League franchise St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for US$ 5,000.
