Nepal had a busy day at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Friday, September 25, with athletes competing across several sports.
The biggest results came in men's cricket, women's kabaddi andd badminton with Nepal adding another medal to its tally while also progressing in badminton.
Cricket: Nepal beat Afghanistan by five wickets
Nepal opened its men's cricket campaign today with a five wicket victory over Afghanistan at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
Afghanistan batted first after winning the toss and scored 102 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs. Nepal then needed 103 runs to win and reached the target in 17.2 overs, losing five wickets along the way.
Kushal Bhurtel today was Nepal's main threat against the Afghanistan team with his bowling, taking four wickets for 21 runs while Lalit Rajbanshi took three wickets for 13 runs.
The win wasn't a complete comfortable chase as Bhurtel was dismissed without scoring and Aasif Sheikh making only two runs. Sundeep Jora scored 34 runs and Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 33 to guide Nepal towards the target. Dipendra Singh Airee added 15 before Gulshan Jha scored the winning run.
The victory gives Nepal two points in Group A. Nepal will face Japan on Saturday, September 26, with the top two teams in the group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Women's kabaddi: Nepal secure bronze despite semifinal loss
Nepal's wpmen's kabaddi team secured a bronze medal despite 48-24 to India in the semifinal at Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Friday.
India controlled the match from the beginning and led 31-17 at halftime. Nepal manages seven points in the second half while India added 17 to complete the 48-24 hour victory.
Although Nepal lost the semifinal, the result gives the team a bronze medal as both losing semifinalists receive bronze in the competition. This makes the total medal count of Nepal at the 2025 Asian Games to 2 following Tenzing's win in karate earlier.
Badminton: Kshitij Khanal moves into second round
Kshitij Khanal defeated Chi Chon Pui of Macau 2–0 in the first round at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Friday.
Khanal’s straight-set victory takes him into the second round of the individual competition. The next stage of the men’s singles competition is scheduled for Saturday, September 26.
For Nepal, Friday therefore produced a combination of results: a five-wicket cricket victory, a bronze medal in women’s kabaddi and progress in badminton. The Nepali contingent will continue its Asian Games campaign on Saturday, with the cricket team facing Japan and athletes from other disciplines also scheduled to compete.
