Nepal defended their ACC Men’s U16 East Zone Cup title successfully after defeating Singapore by two wickets in the final match played at YSD UKM Oval in Bangi, Malaysia, on Saturday.

Nepal’s young boys have been setting the bar high in the East Zone as they lifted the title in 2017, 2019 and 2023 as well. “We enjoyed it a lot here in Malaysia,” Nepal’s skipper Bipin Sharma said in the post-match presentation. “It [the final match] was really competitive. Very talented side [Singapore].”

The joy of winning was visible as the squad ran to encroach the pitch after Abhay Yadav hit the last ball of the 29th over for a six to take Nepal’s score to 117, three more runs than the target set by Singapore.

From 40/2 in 5.3 overs, Nepal were brought down to 92/8 in 24.3 overs by Singapore. “I thought I would die right there,” said Sharma when asked how he felt after Yadav’s winning six.

Nepal and Singapore, who were in the same group, faced each other in their first game of the edition on June 22. Nepal then bundled out Singapore for 138 and chased it in 33.3 overs with six wickets to spare.

However, in the final, Singapore did not make it easy for Nepal to chase a lower total: 114 runs. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Singapore were 88/9 in 31.2 overs, but the last-wicket partnership between Akash Teja (10 off 12) and Vedansh Gupta (12 off 38) took them over the three-digit mark.

Kapish Venkatraman sent Nepal’s top four batters back to the pavilion, and the pressure mounted up for the young Rhinos. However, they did not let the shortcomings affect them and kept the scoreboard ticking until the winning runs came in from Yadav.

In at ten, Yadav, who bagged three wickets and gave only 34 runs in his 10-over spell with the ball, was with in-at-seven Joy Thapa as Nepal chased the low total with much hardship. Thapa was not out with 24 off 53, the highest score for a Nepali batter in the inning.

Similarly, Nepal not only lifted the title but also swept all individual trophies.

Raunak Srivastav, who departed for a golden duck in the final, was the best player as well as the best batter of the tournament. He scored 296 runs in six games.

Similarly, Nepal’s skipper Sharma was adjudged the best bowler of the tournament. He bagged 17 wickets throughout the tournament.

The East Zone Cup was introduced with a vision to enhance skill sets of players in the long version of the game at the youth level, allowing players to adapt, showcase temperament, and develop match awareness in line with international competitions that start at U19 level.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Nepal U16 team for their outstanding performance and well-deserved victory at the ACC Men’s U16 East Zone Cup 2025,” said President of the Asian Cricket Council Mohsin Naqvi. “Your dedication, talent, and team spirit were truly inspiring. I also congratulate the Singapore U-16 team for their commendable journey to the final and a well-fought final.”