Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Aarif Shiekh and Dipendra Singh Airee scored half-centuries as Nepal defeated the UAE by seven wickets in the first official warm-up match ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Chennai, India, on Tuesday.
Electing to field first after winning the toss at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Nepal restricted UAE to 145 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs and chased down the target losing three wickets with 18 balls to spare.
UAE, which made a poor start with the bat, were reeling at 80/5 after 15 overs. However, the Gulf side scored 65 runs in the remaining five overs to take the total to 145. Sohaib Khan top-scored for UAE with an unbeaten 38 off 27 balls, while Harshit Kaushik contributed 35 off 24. Opener Aryansh Sharma, Mohammad Zohaib, and Alishan Sharafu chipped in with 25, 19, and 12, respectively.
Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane picked up two wickets each for Nepal, while Dipendra claimed one.
Nepal also made a shaky start in the chase, losing both openers for eight each. Nepal were in trouble when Rohit Paudel was run out with just 45 runs on board. However, the fourth-wicket pair of Dipendra and Aarif added 123 runs for Nepal. Aarif scored 61 off 37 balls, while Dipendra contributed 50 off 31 balls.
Nepal will face Canada in their second warm-up match on Thursday.
The T20 World Cup kicks off on Saturday. Nepal face England in their first match of the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday.
