T20 World Cup Warm-up: Nepal Defeats UAE by Seven Wickets

Kathmandu, Feb 3: Nepal registered a convincing seven-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates in a warm-up match ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday.

The match, played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, saw Nepal opt to field first after winning the toss. Nepal’s bowlers put up a disciplined performance to restrict the UAE to 145 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.

Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane led the bowling attack with two wickets apiece, while Dipendra Singh Airee picked up one wicket. For the UAE, Sohaib Khan top-scored with 38 runs, followed by Harshit Kaushik’s 35. Opener Aryansh Sharma contributed 25 runs, while Muhammad Zohaib added 19 to help the UAE post a competitive total.

Chasing the target, Nepal reached the required runs in just 17 overs, losing three wickets. Despite early setbacks with openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh dismissed cheaply for eight runs each, the middle order stabilised the innings.

Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh anchored the chase with unbeaten half-centuries, scoring 50 off 31 balls and 61 off 31 balls respectively. Captain Rohit Paudel chipped in with 16 runs from 19 deliveries as Nepal cruised to victory.

Nepal will play its second warm-up match against Canada at the same venue on February 5. The team is scheduled to open its ICC T20 World Cup campaign against England on February 8 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will begin on February 7.