Nepal are on the rise and the T20 World Cup could be their launchpad

vs England in Mumbai, February 8
vs Italy in Mumbai, February 12
vs West Indies in Mumbai, February 15
vs Scotland in Mumbai, February 17

Nepal's passionate fans expect big things from them. If their performances at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean were any indication - they came within a run of upsetting South Africa and bowled out Bangladesh for 106 - Nepal may be doing far more than merely making up the numbers.

Pressure and inexperience got to them then. But in the two years since, Nepal have been driven by a familiar core, with as many as ten members of the 2024 squad part of the upcoming edition in India and Sri Lanka. Along with that, there's continuity in leadership, with 23-year-old batting lynchpin Rohit Paudel in the top job.

Paudel's leadership credentials have been reinforced by his success in the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). After managing just one win from four matches, Paudel's Lumbini Lions put together a remarkable six-match winning streak to rise from the bottom of the table in season one to being champions in December 2025.

Every member of the squad featured in the NPL; two of them - Nandan Yadav and Sher Malla - even accelerated their journeys to the national team with their performances there, playing alongside and against a number of established overseas stars like Faf du Plessis, Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham.

Nepal's biggest change between 2024 and now is being felt beyond the boundary. Increased corporate sponsorship, government backing, and the runaway success of the NPL have opened up revenue streams beyond ICC funding. These have set in motion a series of developments that bode well for the game: improved player pay, greater professionalism, and much-needed investment in infrastructure.

Good performances in India will further strengthen that base.

Internationally, Nepal were last in action at the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Oman in September-October, where they won all six matches to book a place at a second successive men's T20 World Cup. Just prior to that, they recorded their first T20I series win over a Full Member, beating West Indies 2-1 in the UAE.

An offspinner with excellent control and a range of variations honed by watching R Ashwin, Sher Malla finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker of NPL 2025, claiming 17 wickets in ten matches at an economy rate of 6.50 for champions Lumbini Lions. Paudel turned to him repeatedly to make early inroads with the new ball, and Malla usually delivered.

Remember the 2023 Asia Cup where seamer Karan KC made Rohit Sharma uneasy by getting the new ball to nip around, beating both edges and twice rapping him on the pads? The current version of Karan is quicker, and consistently more accurate, and will spearhead Nepal's pace attack. Add to it his ability to contribute important lower-order runs and he becomes a solid package.

Not quite. The average age of the squad is in the mid-20s, with seam-bowling allrounder Karan the oldest at 34. But Karan's also is among the fittest. Expect this core group to be around for a few years.

1 Aarif Sheikh, 2 Kushal Bhurtel, 3 Rohit Paudel (capt), 4 Aasif Sheikh (wk), 5 Sundeep Jora, 6 Gulshan Jha, 7 KC Karan, 8 Sompal Kami, 9 Sandeep Lamichhane, 10 Lalit Rajbanshi/Nandan Yadav, 11 Sher Malla