Nepal beat Oman by eight wickets at the Singapore Cricket Club to storm into the Asian Games Men's T20I Qualifier 2026 final, Lokesh Bam's unbeaten 44 sealing a chase that Karan KC's three-for had already set up.
Chasing a modest 95, Nepal needed only 9.2 of their 20 overs. Kushal Bhurtel set the tone with a 20 off just eight balls — three fours and a six at a strike rate of 250 — before he and Aasif Sheikh (1) both fell to Sameer Othman inside the second over, leaving Nepal 27 for 2.
That brought together Rohit Paudel and Bam, and the pair never looked troubled. Bam was the aggressor, racing to 44 not out off 26 deliveries with seven fours and a six (SR 169.23), while Paudel held the other end with an unbeaten 21 off 20. Their unbroken 68-run third-wicket stand carried Nepal home with 64 balls to spare.
Karan KC was the pick of the attack with 3 for 20 from his four overs (economy 5), removing both openers and Issa Al Balushi. Sandeep Lamichhane (2 for 19) and Sompal Kami (2 for 26) chipped in with two apiece, while Dipendra Singh Airee was the most economical of the lot, conceding just eight runs from his three overs.
Oman never recovered from a stuttering start. Sufyan Mehmood top-scored with 38 off 42 balls (two fours, two sixes) and Zubair Al Balushi made a brisk 22 off 14, but no one else passed 16 as wickets fell at regular intervals. Five Oman batters were dismissed in single figures.
It was a near-flawless all-round performance. Having restricted Oman to a total that demanded a required rate of under five an over, Nepal attacked from the first ball and were never behind the asking rate — the chase was effectively over by the time Bam and Paudel had settled in. The eight-wicket margin, with more than half the innings unused, underlined the gulf between the sides on the day.
Dipendra Airee's side now advance to the final, where they will meet Hong Kong, the winner of the second semi-final.
