Sompal Kami

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sompal Kami

• Sompal Kami was born in Gulmi, western Nepal, and later grew up in Punjab, India.

• He spent his childhood playing school-level cricket tournaments and captained a team in the Indian Premier Corporate League. He returned to Nepal in 2013 and continued his cricket career after joining the Nepali Cricket Fan Club.

• He first came to know about Nepali cricket through a Facebook group of Nepali cricket supporters named Nepali Cricket Fans Club.

• He earned selection for Kathmandu Region No. 3 and helped the team win the U-19 National Championship with strong batting and bowling performances.

• He took two centuries and the best bowling figures in the U-19 tournament, which impressed coach Pubudu Dassanayake.

• He became the leading wicket-taker with ten wickets in four matches in the Sagarmatha Cement Journey to World Cup tournament in December 2013.

• He made his international debut for Nepal against the UAE in January 2014. He played in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand and took eight wickets in six List A matches.

• He played three T20 International matches in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh and took four wickets. He recorded figures of 5 for 47 against Malaysia in the 2014 ACC Premier League and finished with fifteen wickets in the tournament.

• He took five wickets at an average of four in the 2014 Asian Games and earned a place in the Select XI. He took eleven wickets in the 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three, which Nepal won.

• He scored 40 runs from number ten against Hong Kong in November 2014 and set a new T20 record for that batting position.

• He became Nepal’s leading wicket-taker with eleven wickets in the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia.

• He joined Kalutara Physical Culture Club in February 2015 in Sri Lanka and took 39 wickets in eight innings. and took six wickets in the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier at an average of 19.83.

• He made his first-class debut for Saracens Sports Club in Sri Lanka on 26 December 2015. He was part of Nepal’s squad in the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament.

• He took 4 for 30 against the UAE in the third match of the 2018 Division Two event. He was selected for Nepal’s first ODI series against the Netherlands in July 2018.

• He made his ODI debut on 1 August 2018 against the Netherlands in Amstelveen. He was named in Nepal’s squad for the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier and the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Asia Qualifier.

• He became the first Nepalese bowler to take a five-wicket haul in an ODI on 26 January 2019 against the UAE. He was selected for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in June 2019.

• The Winnipeg Hawks signed him from the auction for $3,000 during the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament. He became the first Nepali player to win an overseas league as the team won the tournament.

  

• He played in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh. He was selected for Nepal’s cricket team at the 2019 South Asian Games and won a bronze medal.

• He received a central contract from the Cricket Association of Nepal in September 2020. He took his first T20 hat-trick on 26 March 2024 against the Ireland Wolves.

• He was named in Nepal’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in May 2024.

• In February 2024, he signed a contract with the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) in the grade ‘A’ category with a monthly salary of Rs 100,000.

• He uses modern recovery techniques such as an ice bath.

  

• He is a dog lover and has a pet dog.

  

• He follows Hinduism and often visits temples. He visited Prayagraj in India during the Kumbh Mela in 2025 and took a dip.

  

• He has signed many brand deals, including becoming the ambassador for Geeta Aviation.

  

• After playing his debut match for Nepal, he focused on his batting and fitness to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the next two years.

• When he first started playing, he wore jersey number 64, inspired by jersey number 10 of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, popularly known as the God of Cricket.

• He revealed in an interview that the Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was impressed with the fast running between the wickets by Nepali cricketers and once asked him what they ate. Kami’s reply was, “Dal Bhat power 24 hour,” referring to traditional Nepali food of rice and dal.

• When asked about a cricketer on whom a biopic should be made, he named Sandeep Lamichhane, who has played for many years while handling personal challenges.

• He often shares photos with his wife, Pratibha Ghimire, on social media. The couple dated each other for some days before getting engaged in 2016 and marrying each other at a temple in Kathmandu in 2020.