Nepal opened their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up campaign with a solid seven-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates, finishing the chase with 18 balls to spare.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) posted 145/6 in 20 overs, but Nepal replied with 148/3 in 17 overs, powered by an unbeaten stand between Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee.
UAE's innings was held together by Shoaib Khan (38* off 27) and Harshit Kaushik (35 off 24), while Aryansh Sharma (25 off 17) gave them early momentum. Nepal's main wicket-takers were Karan KC (2/26) and Sandeep Lamichhane (2/24), with Dipendra Singh Airee also chipping in with a wicket (1/12).
But one concern stayed consistent with recent trends: Nepal leaked 65 runs in the last five overs, allowing UAE to turn a manageable position into a competitive total.
Nepal's chase wasn't clean early. Kushal Bhurtel fell for 8, caught off Muhammad Rohid, before Aasif Sheikh and Rohit Paudel were both run out, leaving Nepal 45/3.
That's when Aarif and Dipendra shut the door. Aarif followed up his recent 67* against Mumbai Cricket Association XI with another composed unbeaten knock, finishing on 61* (37 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes). Dipendra played the accelerator's role with 50 (31 balls) as the pair completed the chase comfortably.
Earlier, Rohit had a tough time against UAE's left-arm pace, particularly Muhammad Rohid's angle and control-something opponents will file away quickly.
Nepal stay at the same venue for their next warm-up, facing Canada on February 5, before their opening World Cup match against England on February 8 at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
