Nepal have announced their squad for the inaugural ICC Women's Challenge Trophy, with Indu Barma set to lead the side and Puja Mahato named vice-captain for the tournament in Rwanda later this month.
The squad announced by CAN includes experienced names such as Bindu Rawal, Rubina Chhetry, Samjhana Khadka, Rubi Poddar and Kabita Joshi, alongside younger players including Riya Sharma, Roma Thapa, Suman Bist and Manisha Upadhyaya. Kabita Kunwar, Anu Kadayat and Rachana Chaudhary are also part of the group.
Nepal have named their squad for the inaugural ICC Women's Challenge Trophy in Rwanda. Indu Barma will captain Nepal, with Puja Mahato named vice-captain.#NepalWomen #NepalCricket pic.twitter.com/CWVhwlXMDD
— cricnepal.com 🇳🇵 🦏 (@cricnepal) April 13, 2026
The tournament will be held in Kigali, Rwanda from April 18 to May 1. It is the first edition of the ICC Women's Challenge Trophy, a new competition created as part of the ICC's expanded women's pathway for emerging Associate sides.
The event will feature one team from each ICC development region outside the higher-tier Emerging Nations setup. Nepal will represent Asia, alongside hosts Rwanda from Africa, USA from the Americas, Italy from Europe and Vanuatu from the East Asia-Pacific region.
The event gives Nepal another significant international assignment in a year that has already included the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier at home. It also offers the team a chance to test its depth against opposition they do not face regularly in Asia-only events.
Nepal will open their campaign against USA on April 18, followed by Italy on April 19, Rwanda on April 22 and Vanuatu on April 24 before the return phase later in the tournament.
Squad
Indu Barma (c), Puja Mahato (vc), Bindu Rawal, Samjhana Khadka, Rubi Poddar, Kabita Joshi, Kabita Kunwar, Riya Sharma, Roma Thapa, Suman Bist, Anu Kadayat, Manisha Upadhyaya, Rubina Chhetry, Rachana Chaudhary
