Nepal Defeats UAE by Seven Wickets in T20 World Cup Practice Match in Chennai

Nepal defeated the UAE by seven wickets in the first practice match held in Chennai, India, ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh's unbeaten half-centuries helped Nepal secure an easy victory.

Nepal achieved the modest target of 146 runs set by the UAE with 3 wickets down, with 3 overs remaining. The unbeaten 103-run partnership between Dipendra and Aarif proved decisive in Nepal's win.

Nepal's start in the chase was not auspicious. Opener Kushal Malla was caught out in the second over, while Asif Sheikh was run out in the fourth over. The captain, Rohit Paudel, was also run out in the seventh over after scoring 16 runs off 19 balls, putting Nepal under some pressure. However, Dipendra and Aarif, who settled at the crease afterward, gave the UAE no chance to return to the game.

These two continuously increased the run rate from the 8th over until the 17th over. Dipendra hit a six off the last ball of the 16th over. Immediately in the next over, Aarif hit a six off the bowling of Mohammad Arfan to complete his half-century. Dipendra also completed his half-century in the same over, and Aarif hit a boundary off the last ball to secure the victory for the team.

Earlier, after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Nepal kept the UAE under pressure from the start. Fast bowler Karan KC bowled out UAE captain Mohammad Waseem in the first over. Although the UAE batted cautiously during the powerplay, Sandeep Lamichhane, who came in immediately after, dismissed Aryansh Sharma. Nepal kept the game under control by taking crucial UAE wickets until the middle of the 12th over. Dipendra and Sandeep took one wicket each, while the excellent fielding resulted in run-outs of UAE batters.

However, Harshith Kaushik and Shoaib Khan built a 68-run partnership for the sixth wicket, pushing the team's score close to 150. But that score was not enough to stop Nepal from winning.