Kathmandu, Feb 8: Nepal will face England on the second day of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 today. The match will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting at 3:15 PM (Nepali time).
Nepal are featuring in the T20 World Cup for the third time, having previously participated in the 2014 edition and the 2024 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies. This marks Nepal’s second consecutive appearance at the global event.
In their opening match, Nepal aim to cause a major upset against two-time champions and Test nation England and begin their World Cup campaign on a historic note. In the previous edition, Nepal narrowly lost to South Africa by just one run, and this time they are determined not to repeat past mistakes.
Nepal arrive at the World Cup in excellent form. They secured qualification by winning all six matches in the qualifiers and lifting the title. Prior to that, Nepal achieved a historic milestone by defeating West Indies 2–1 in a three-match T20I series in the Dubai. Nepal captain Rohit Paudel has stated that the confidence gained from that series will be crucial in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, England are also in strong form, having won 10 of their last 11 completed T20 Internationals. Playing against associate nation Nepal for the first time, England will look for a comfortable win to kick off their campaign. England last reached the T20 World Cup final 10 years ago in India, where they finished runners-up after losing to West Indies. They are now in India with the goal of lifting the trophy for a third time.
England Playing XI
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (Captain), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
Nepal Probable Playing XI
Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (Wicketkeeper), Rohit Paudel (Captain), Sandeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav
