Nepal were crowned champions of the Asian Games Men’s T20 Qualifier after defeating Hong Kong by 19 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a rain-affected final in Singapore on Sunday.

Chasing 189 for victory, Nepal were well placed at 114-2 in 11.3 overs when rain brought play to a halt at the Sings Oval. With no further play possible, Nepal were declared winners as they were comfortably ahead of the DLS par score.

At the time of the interruption, Rohit Paudel was unbeaten on 35 off 24 balls, hitting three fours and a six, while captain Dipendra Singh Airee was on 9 from four deliveries in his 100th T20 International appearance.

Kushal Bhurtel once again laid the foundation for Nepal’s chase with a blistering 65 off 40 balls. The opener struck eight fours and three sixes before his dismissal. Bhurtel had earlier scored two centuries during the tournament.

Nepal lost Aasif Sheikh for a duck in the third over after the opener was bowled by Ayush Shukla off the first ball he faced. Bhurtel then steadied the innings and kept the required rate under control before Paudel and Airee guided Nepal beyond the DLS par score.

Nepal reached the final after defeating Oman by eight wickets in the semi-finals, while Hong Kong booked their place with a six-wicket win over Malaysia.

The Nepali side had dominated the group stage, thrashing China by 221 runs and Malaysia by 167 runs to secure a semi-final berth. By reaching the last four, Nepal had already qualified for the Asian Games, which will be held in Nagoya, Japan, in September and October.

Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman qualified for the Asian Games through the tournament and will join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and hosts Japan in the main event.

Earlier, Hong Kong posted 188-7 after being asked to bat first.

Opener Anshy Rath top-scored with 80 off 45 balls, striking six fours and six sixes. Hong Kong had reached 156 when Rath was dismissed in the 16th over.

Nizakat Khan fell for 2, while former captain Babar Hayat was dismissed for a duck. Rath shared a 48-run partnership with Shiv Mathur and later added 84 runs off just 39 balls with Shahid Wasif for the fifth wicket.

Wasif made 55 off 28 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes. Captain Yasim Murtaza scored 9, while Nasrulla Rana added 8.

Sher Malla was the standout performer with the ball for Nepal, returning figures of 4-32 from four overs. He dismissed Khan, Mathur, Rath and Wasif to derail Hong Kong’s innings.

Karan KC claimed 2-45, while Sandeep Lamichhane picked up one wicket. Airee bowled economically, conceding 28 runs from his four overs without taking a wicket.