A Nepal court on Wednesday (January 10) sentenced leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in prison on charges of rape.

A single bench of Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal passed the verdict. The bench also slapped a fine of 300,000 Nepalese rupees ($2,255) and ordered the cricketer to pay 200,000 rupees ($1,500) in compensation to the victim.

“The court has sentenced him for eight years,” Kathmandu district court official Ramu Sharma told AFP.

Lamichhane was not in court for the sentencing as he is not in custody. His lawyer, Saroj Ghimire, told AFP he “will appeal the decision in a higher court”.

Sandeep Lamichhane consistently denied all the wrongdoing brought against him and enjoyed strong public support despite the accusation.

When authorities issued an arrest warrant, Lamichhane initially failed to return from Jamaica, where he was participating in the Caribbean Premier League. He was removed as national captain and arrested, but Nepal lifted his playing ban after he was freed on bail.

Despite the allegations, Lamichhane continued to play cricket, participating in tournaments such as the World Cup qualifiers and the Asia Cup 2023.

In February last year, the Scotland cricket team players refused to shake hands with Lamichhane after their three-wicket loss to Nepal.

Lamichhane was the first Nepal cricketer to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut for the Delhi-based franchise in 2018.

The leg-spinner has also plied his trade in other big-ticket T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Sandeep Lamichhane has represented Nepal in 51 ODIs and 52 T20Is, claiming a total of 210 wickets in international wickets.

(With AFP Inputs)