For years, Nepal dreamed of playing cricket at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium. This February that dream comes true.
In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Nepal is in Group C with England, the West Indies, Scotland and Italy. Nepal will be playing all group stage matches at that stadium. After political tensions between New Delhi and Dhaka, Bangladesh withdrew from the World Cup, and Scotland was included.
“Every cricketer has a dream to play at the Wankhede Cricket Stadium. Its one of the most popular cricket stadiums in the world. Everyone will watch the Nepali team when they play there,” said Sarad Veswakar, a cricketer who represented Nepal at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2014. He added that Nepal has a big opportunity to show its performance to the world.
Nepal will start their World Cup journey by playing against England on February 8. Nepal will play with Italy on February 12, the West Indies on February 15 and Scotland on February 17, respectively, in the tournament jointly held by South Asian nations India and Sri Lanka.
Nepal will play the group stage matches from February 8 to 17. The tournament will be held from February 7 to March 8. The ICC has divided 20 teams into four groups. The top two teams from each group will then progress to the Super 8 stage. The eight teams will then be divided into two groups of four each, with the top two teams from each advancing to the semi-finals.
Kolkata and Mumbai are expected to host the semifinals, with the final on March 8 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest. If Pakistan qualify for a semifinal or the final, those matches will be hosted in Colombo.
In their third World Cup campaign after 2014 and 2023, Nepal is more prepared and determined. The continuous domestic and international exposure, including the Nepal Premier League, has strengthened players’ physical and technical development, readying the team for a stage like this.
Nepal qualified for this World Cup last November. Making history in Oman during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & East Asia Pacific Qualifier, Nepal not only qualified for the next Twenty20 World Cup but also won all six games to become champions.
Nepal cricket team captain Rohit Paudel said that his team is excited to play the World Cup for the third time. Rohit mentioned that in the last World Cup held in America and West Indies, it was difficult for everyone to score runs because the pitch was not comfortable for batting. He said that they will perform well to make the country proud. Captain Paudel added that the ‘high-scoring’ pitch at Wankhede will be comfortable for the batters in the World Cup. He said that the bowlers should also prepare well for this pitch.
Under the leadership of 23-year-old Rohit, Nepal will play on the global stage, with the all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee as vice-captain. Other members of the Nepali team are Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla and Lokesh Bam.
The head coach of the Nepali team, Stuart Law, said that playing in the World Cup is a proud moment for the players as well as the coach and management. He further said he hopes that Nepal will be proud of the World Cup.
Nepal, Oman, and the UAE qualified for the 20-team World Cup from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & East Asia Pacific Qualifier. Of the 20 teams, 12 secured automatic qualification in the World Cup. India and Sri Lanka are the host nations, while South Africa, England, Afghanistan, Australia, the West Indies, Scotland, and the USA qualified by reaching the Super 8 at the 2024 World Cup. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Ireland progressed based on the ICC Men’s Twenty20 International rankings.
Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan were selected on the basis of ICC rankings. The eight other countries qualified from the four regional qualifiers—Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia & East Asia Pacific (EAP) qualifiers. Canada qualified from the Americas Qualifier; the Netherlands and Italy from the Europe Qualifier; Zimbabwe and Namibia from the Africa Qualifier; and Nepal, Oman, and the UAE from the Asia or EAP Qualifier.
Nepal Squad: Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee (vc), Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla and Lokesh Bam.
