Nepal Women U19 sealed qualification for the next stage of the ACC Women’s U19 Premier Cup 2026 with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Japan Women U19 at the YSD UKM Oval, Bangi. The contest was largely dictated by Nepal’s disciplined bowling attack before their top order made light work of the modest chase.
Although Japan captain Bianca Shino displayed admirable resistance with an unbeaten 38 off 57 balls, Nepal’s bowlers struck at regular intervals to ensure the innings never gathered momentum. The clinical chase was then anchored by Sabitri Dhami, whose fluent unbeaten knock guided Nepal home with 52 balls to spare, underlining the team’s all-round superiority.
After being invited to bat, Japan endured an early setback when Natsume Wada Macdonald was dismissed for a duck in the very first over by Anu Kadayat, leaving the side at 1/2. Captain Bianca Shino then attempted to rebuild alongside Ayane Sakuraba, and the pair stitched together a valuable 52-run partnership for the second wicket. Sakuraba contributed a brisk 10 off 13 deliveries with two boundaries before Riya Sharma broke the stand by bowling her, reducing Japan to 28/2 in the 6.1st over. Bianca continued to hold one end firmly, but wickets continued to tumble around her.
Kicho Suzuki made 10 from 23 balls and shared a brief stand before she was caught by Alisha Kumari Yadav off Sony Pakhrin at 63/3 in the 12.6th over. Just two runs later, Miku Yamaguchi was trapped lbw by Krishma Gurung, making it 64/4, shifting the momentum completely in Nepal’s favour. Japan’s lower middle order struggled to cope with Nepal’s relentless pressure. Mamta Kaswan managed only one run before being run out by Alisha Kumari Yadav, while wicketkeeper Yuina Murata was also run out through the efforts of Rachana Kumari Chaudhary, leaving Japan at 71/6.
Mio Akizuki was unable to get off the mark and became Krishma Gurung’s second wicket after being caught by Rachana Kumari Chaudhary. Khushi Veerapurmath was dismissed for a duck by Manisha Upadhayay, and Palak Amit Gundecha also fell without scoring after Riya Sharma claimed her second wicket. The innings concluded when Marina Kurihara was run out for a duck, with Japan bowled out for 86 in exactly 20 overs. Bianca Shino remained unbeaten on 38, fighting a lone battle as 27 extras emerged as Japan’s second-highest contributor.
Nepal’s bowling effort was disciplined and well-rounded, with every bowler playing an important role. Krishma Gurung delivered the standout spell, returning 2 for 6 from her three overs, consistently troubling the batters with her accuracy. Riya Sharma also picked up 2 for 23 in four overs, removing two key middle-order batters.
Anu Kadayat provided the ideal start with 1 for 11, while Manisha Upadhayay matched those figures with 1 for 11 from four economical overs. Sony Pakhrin chipped in with 1 for 10, and Tirsana Bishwokarma and Rachana Kumari Chaudhary kept things tight despite going wicketless. Nepal’s fielding further strengthened their performance with three run-outs, ensuring Japan never recovered after the promising second-wicket stand.
Chasing a target of 87, Nepal started positively through Sana Praveen and Sabitri Dhami, who laid a solid foundation with a 42-run opening partnership in just 3.5 overs. Sana played aggressively, scoring 18 off 16 balls with three boundaries before she was caught by Kicho Suzuki off Mamta Kaswan, giving Japan their only breakthrough at 42/1.
Any hopes of a comeback quickly disappeared as Sabitri found an equally capable partner in skipper Sony Pakhrin. The pair calmly added an unbeaten 48-run partnership for the second wicket to complete the chase in just 11.2 overs. Sabitri finished unbeaten on 41 from 32 deliveries, striking seven boundaries in a confident innings, while Sony remained 18 not out from 22 balls, ensuring Nepal crossed the finish line comfortably at 90/1.
Japan’s bowlers found little assistance while defending the small target. Mamta Kaswan was the lone wicket-taker, producing an excellent spell of 1 for 11 in four overs to dismiss Sana Praveen. Ayane Sakuraba bowled three overs for 20 runs, while Natsume Wada Macdonald conceded 20 runs in 1.2 overs. Khushi Veerapurmath gave away 8 runs in one over, Palak Amit Gundecha leaked 19 runs in her only over, and Marina Kurihara finished with 0 for 11 from one over. However, the modest target left little room for the bowlers to create sustained pressure.
With this emphatic nine-wicket victory, Nepal Women U19 confirmed their place in the next stage of the ACC Women’s U19 Premier Cup 2026, showcasing a complete performance with both ball and bat. Their disciplined bowling attack dismantled Japan before Sabitri Dhami’s composed unbeaten innings ensured a straightforward chase. Despite Bianca Shino’s determined unbeaten 38, Japan Women U19 were unable to build substantial partnerships beyond the 52-run stand for the second wicket.
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