Cricket Kitchen

Nepal Defeats UAE by 7 Wickets

February 4, 2026

Kathmandu – Riding on a century partnership for the fourth wicket between Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee, Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 7 wickets in their first warm-up match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Chasing a target of 146 runs set by UAE, Nepal reached the target in 17 overs, losing three wickets, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

For Nepal, both Dipendra and Aarif scored half-centuries. Aarif made 61 runs off 37 balls, while Dipendra scored 50 runs from 31 deliveries.

Captain Rohit Paudel was dismissed for 16 runs, while openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh scored 8 runs each. Rohit and Aasif were run out.

For UAE, Mohammad Rohin claimed one wicket.

Earlier, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, UAE posted 145 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Sohaib Khan and Harshit Kaushik added 68 runs for the sixth wicket to take UAE to a competitive total. Sohaib remained unbeaten on 38 runs, while Harshit was dismissed for 35. Opener Aryansh Sharma scored 25 runs, Mohammad Zohaib made 19, and Alishan Sharafu contributed 12 runs.

For Nepal, Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets each, while Dipendra Singh Airee picked up one.

Nepal will play their second warm-up match against Canada on Magh 22 (February 5) in Chennai. After that, the Nepali team will return to Mumbai.

In this edition of the World Cup, Nepal have been placed in Group ‘C’, alongside England, West Indies, Scotland, and Italy.

Nepal will play their first group match against England on February 8 (Magh 25).