Nepal’s campaign at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup ended Saturday with a decisive nine-wicket loss to the two-time champions West Indies, a result that eliminated the team from the tournament at the group stage.
This was Nepal’s third consecutive loss. Previously, they lost to England and Italy in Group C. West Indies, by contrast, remained unbeaten with three straight victories and became the first team from the group to advance to the Super Eight round.
With six points, West Indies sit atop the standings. England, with two wins and one loss, is second with four points. Scotland and Italy have two points each. England will secure a place in the Super Eight with a win over Italy, while Italy must win both of its remaining matches to progress.
Nepal, still without a point, will play Scotland on Tuesday in its final match of the tournament, now a contest for pride rather than qualification.
At Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Nepal posted 133 for 8 after being sent in to bat. The total proved insufficient against a West Indies lineup that reached 134 for 1 in 15.2 overs.
Captain Shai Hope led the chase with an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls, striking five fours and three sixes. Shimron Hetmyer added 46 not out, and together the pair shared an unbroken 91-run partnership for the second wicket that effectively sealed the match. Brandon King contributed 22 in a 43-run opening stand with Hope. Nepal’s only wicket came from Nandan Yadav.
Nepal’s innings was built largely around a half-century from Vice Captain Dipendra Singh Airee, who scored 58 off 47 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Airee reached his fifty in the 19th over and became only the second Nepali batter to score a half-century in a T20 World Cup, after Subash Khakurel in 2014.
Sompal Kami, appearing in his first match of this year’s tournament, made an unbeaten 26 off 15 balls. His 54-run partnership with Airee for the seventh wicket was Nepal’s highest of the innings and helped lift the team to a competitive total after early setbacks.
Nepal struggled in the powerplay, managing just 22 runs for the loss of three wickets in the first six overs, the team’s lowest powerplay score in T20 World Cup history. Kushal Bhurtel was bowled in the opening over by Akeal Hosein, and the middle order faltered soon after, leaving Nepal at 46 for 5 before Airee and his lower-order partners stabilised the innings.
Jason Holder led the West Indies bowling attack with four wickets, while Hosein, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph and Roston Chase took one each.
The match also marked a milestone for Sompal Kami, who became the first Nepali cricketer to appear in three T20 World Cups, having featured in Nepal’s debut tournament in 2014 and in the two editions since. He now holds the national record for most T20 World Cup appearances, with seven matches.
Among the 15 members of Nepal’s squad, Sundeep Jora and all-rounder Bashir Ahamad are the only players yet to appear in this year’s tournament.
