Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal are opening their 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday with a daunting clash against two-time champions England at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium.
The match marks another major milestone in Nepal’s growing cricket journey. The T20 World Cup is the third, and second consecutive one for Nepal, and they face the tournament favorites first up. England, winners in 2010 and 2022, arrive with a powerful lineup packed with world-class hitters and proven match-winners.
Nepal, however, will be no short of confidence. In September, Nepal won the three-match T20 series against the West Indies—the first-ever series win against a full member. Likewise, they secured a spot in the T20 World Cup, winning the Asia and EAP Qualifier undefeated. They also secured comfortable wins in the official warm-up matches against the UAE and Canada.
However, England will be a different prospects altogehter. The two-time champions come to the World Cup, winning 10 of their last 11 outings, including a 3-0 series clean sweep against Sri Lanka.
Nepal are expected to give a tough fight, nevertheless, in the Wankhede. “We got very close against South Africa and Bangladesh in the 2024 T20 World Cup,” Nepal captain Rohit Kumar Paudel said during a press conference on Tuesday. “We also got the opportunity to play the West Indies in Sharjah last year, and the win gave a lot of confidence to the boys. We are taking all these motivations to the 2026 World Cup.”
Squads:
England
Harry Brook (C), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood.
Nepal
Rohit Paudel (C), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam.
