Nepal to face UAE in T20 International series opener under new leadership

Kathmandu. The Nepali national cricket team is set to play the first match of a two-game T20 International series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on home soil this Monday.

With this series, Nepal is introducing a new captain and testing a new squad in T20 cricket.

In this historic match, which marks the first time a game will be held under floodlights at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee will lead the Nepali side.

Rohit Paudel, who previously led the team in both T20 and ODI formats, has been rested from T20 captaincy. With this decision, Nepal has begun a new practice of having separate captains for T20 and ODI formats.

This is Nepal's first T20 appearance since playing in the T20 World Cup in India two months ago. The series is being viewed as an opportunity to build a new T20 squad for the future, with the possibility of giving chances to new players today.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has already announced a 15-member squad under the captaincy of Dipendra Singh Airee.

The team features a blend of young and experienced players. The second and final match of the series will be held tomorrow at the same venue.

15-member Nepali squad

Dipendra Singh Airee (Captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Bashir Ahmed, Gulsan Jha, Lokesh Bam, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Arjun Saud, Hemant Dhami, Shahab Alam, and Sher Malla.

Pratis GC, Narayan Joshi, and Rashid Khan are listed as reserve players.