In Brief:

• 12-member squad named, with Sadish Pradhan captain and Binod Maharjan vice-captain
• Sushil Gurung head coach, Ashish Neupane assistant coach
• Nepal in Group A with UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman; top three advance

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 23 The Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) on Saturday bade farewell to the national basketball team that will compete in the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. NOC Secretary General Rajiv Shrestha and NOC Secretary and Nepal Basketball Association President Bhim Singh Gurung wished the team success in the tournament, which runs from August 26 to 31. Nepal has named a 12-member squad for the tournament, with Sadish Pradhan as captain and Binod Maharjan as vice-captain. The squad comprises Shreyas Bahadur Shah, Nishchal Maharjan, Ajay Kushwaha, Ashim Shrestha, Saurav Shrestha, Sudip Paudel Chhetri, Kamal Thapa, Simon Gurung, Pema Sherpa and Pranay Man Shrestha. Sushil Gurung is the head coach, while Ashish Neupane is the assistant coach. Nepal is drawn in Group A alongside hosts the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The top three teams in the group will advance to the second round of the pre-qualifiers. Nepal will open its campaign against the UAE on August 26, followed by Kuwait on August 28, Bahrain on August 30 and Oman on August 31.