Kathmandu - Siddhant Lohani has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a career remembered as much for one unforgettable shot as for a painful injury battle that stopped his attempted comeback.
Lohani, 31, confirmed his decision on Saturday through a social media post, saying his "journey on the field comes to an end" after seven knee surgeries and a total left knee replacement.
The date carried its own weight. Lohani made his Nepal debut on July 18, 2015, against Jersey in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dublin. Exactly 11 years later, on July 18, 2026, he officially stepped away.
A right-hand batter and right-arm offbreak bowler from Biratnagar, Lohani played only one senior international match for Nepal, but it left a lasting mark. Against Jersey, he scored 27 off 16 balls with two fours and two sixes, top-scoring for Nepal in a difficult innings. His helicopter shot from that match later won the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 Play of the Tournament award.
That moment made him a cult figure among Nepali cricket fans. For many, Lohani became "helicopter boy", a fearless stroke-player who represented a flash of modern T20 flair at a time when Nepal were still searching for power-hitters.
His domestic career carried the same aggressive identity. In the 2016 Ruslan Cup final, Lohani struck an unbeaten 47 off 20 balls, hitting five sixes to help Nepal Police Club recover from 71/7 and beat Tribhuvan Army Club. He later captained Province 1, now Koshi Province, and produced one of his strongest domestic performances in the 2022 Prime Minister Cup, smashing 72 off 40 balls against Bagmati Province and also taking two wickets.
That form pushed him close to a national comeback. In January 2023, Lohani was called into Nepal's 28-member closed camp for the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series against Namibia and Scotland.
But his career turned during the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi T20 tournament in Janakpur in June 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury while fielding. Lohani sustained a ligament tear and underwent five surgeries over six months, with infections complicating recovery. In April 2025, CAN decided to provide Rs 500,000 in medical assistance after his knee surgery in Gurugram, India.
In his retirement note, Lohani said severe infections worsened his condition and made professional cricket impossible. He thanked his family, friends, coaches, trainers, physios, fans, CAN, the Morang District Cricket Association, Koshi Province Cricket Association and all franchises that trusted him.
"While it breaks my heart that injury cut my career short at such a young age, the memories I made will remain fresh forever," he wrote.
Lohani said retirement does not mean goodbye to cricket, adding that he hopes to begin a new chapter in the game in a different role.
