Cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, who has recently been acquitted of rape charges, has been denied a visa by the American Embassy. The visa application was in preparation of Lamichhane’s plan to join the national team to participate in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies.

Lamichhane announced the news on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, expressing his disappointment and apologizing to his supporters in Nepal.

Lamichhane’s participation in the World Cup comes after his recent acquittal in a rape case by the Patan High Court. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) had subsequently reinstated him into the national team for the T20 World Cup.

Other members of the Nepalese cricket team have already arrived in the United States in preparation for the tournament. Nepal is set to play its opening match against the Netherlands on June 4.

This is not the first instance Lamichhane has faced visa issues with the US. In 2019, he had taken to X (then Twitter) to state that he had been denied a visa. Following a social media outcry, the decision had been reversed. This time however the circumstances are different, and it is unsure if the case’s history influenced the embassy’s decision.