Nepal Cricket Team to Face Canada in Second Practice Match Ahead of T20 World Cup

Kathmandu. The Nepali national cricket team, currently in India for the T20 World Cup 2026, is set to face Canada in their second practice match on Thursday. The match is scheduled to start at 1:15 PM Nepali time, according to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

Previously, Nepal defeated the UAE by 7 wickets in their first practice match held in Chennai. Nepal secured a comfortable victory with unbeaten half-centuries from Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh.

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

Group 'C' features two-time champions England and the West Indies. Nepal is considered the 'dark horse' of the group stage. Between the last T20 World Cup and now, Nepal played 24 T20 Internationals, winning 16 and losing 5, with the remaining matches being a tie or no result.

Between 2024 and October 2025, Nepal secured two victories in the series against the USA and surprised everyone by defeating strong teams like the West Indies by 19 and 90 runs in two matches in Sharjah. Now, the team will face the West Indies once again.

Following Bangladesh's exit from the T20 World Cup, Scotland has been included in Group 'C'. This group now consists of Scotland, England, the West Indies, Nepal, and Italy. Italy has qualified for an ICC tournament for the first time.

Nepal will face England in their first match of the World Cup on Sunday.

Nepal Squad: Rohit Paudel (Captain), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Malla, Asif Sheikh, Sandeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahmed, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, and Lokesh Bam.