Kathmandu, Oct 8: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier kicks off today in Oman, with nine nations battling for three coveted spots in the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
The tournament, hosted in Al Amerat, features Oman, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, Japan, Kuwait, Samoa, and Nepal. The nine teams have been divided into three groups of three:
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Group A: Malaysia, Qatar, UAE
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Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Nepal
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Group C: Oman, Papua New Guinea, Samoa
This time, the ICC has merged the Asia and East Asia-Pacific regions, bringing together teams like Japan, PNG, and Samoa under one qualifying event.
From the group stage, the top two teams of each group will advance to the Super Six, where teams will only play against sides they haven’t faced earlier. The top three teams from the Super Six will book their tickets to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Nepal Among Top Contenders
Nepal enters the tournament as one of the top favorites for qualification. Based on ICC rankings, UAE (15th) is the highest-ranked team, followed by Nepal (18th) and Oman (20th). Other teams include PNG (21st), Kuwait (23rd), Malaysia (25th), Qatar (30th), Japan (44th), and Samoa (69th).
Nepal vs Kuwait – Head-to-Head
Nepal will open their campaign against Kuwait tonight at 8:45 PM NST at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground. Both sides will aim for a winning start. Nepal comes in high on confidence after back-to-back victories in their two warm-up games, defeating Oman by 6 wickets and Qatar by 16 runs.
Before traveling to Oman, Nepal also made history in the UAE by defeating two-time World Cup winners West Indies 2–1 in a T20I series — their first-ever series win over a Test-playing nation. Nepal has won three of its last five matches and aims to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time, having already featured in 2014 and 2024 editions.
On the other hand, Kuwait, considered an underdog, will look to upset the higher-ranked Nepalese team. The side stunned Nepal earlier this year in April, defeating them by 3 runs in the final of the Hong Kong Quadrangular T20 Series. Kuwait has won two and lost three of its last five matches and recently played a preparatory T20 series against Oman, losing both games. This qualifier represents Kuwait’s first major push for World Cup.
Historically, Nepal and Kuwait have faced each other three times in T20Is — Nepal has won two, while Kuwait has claimed one victory.
Last Three Meetings
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Kuwait won by 3 runs – Quadrangular T20 Series 2025 (Hong Kong)
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Nepal won by 6 wickets – Quadrangular T20 Series 2025
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Nepal won by 7 wickets – ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2019
Probable Playing XIs
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (capt), Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee (vc), Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi
Kuwait: Clinto Anto, Meet Bhavsar, Usman Patel (wk), Ali Zaheer, Mohammad Aslam (capt), Bilal Tahir, Yasin Patel, Navinraj Rajendran, Ravija Sandaruwan, Anupdeep Chenathamara, Mohammad Shafique
Players to Watch
Kushal Bhurtel (Nepal)
A vital all-rounder and opening batter, Bhurtel debuted in 2021 against the Netherlands and has since been one of Nepal’s most consistent performers. In 61 T20Is, he has scored 1,398 runs with 9 fifties and 1 hundred, while also taking 29 wickets. Known for his energy in all three departments- batting, bowling, and fielding — he was named Player of the Series against West Indies for his all-round contributions despite limited batting success. Against Kuwait, he has scored 84 runs, including one half-century, in two matches.
Meet Bhavsar (Kuwait)
The 21-year-old left-handed batter is one of Kuwait’s most promising talents. An aggressive stroke-maker, Bhavsar has scored 1,724 runs with 12 fifties in 71 T20Is and also picked up 12 wickets. He has managed 56 runs in three games against Nepal and will look to anchor Kuwait’s batting in this crucial fixture.
Today’s Fixtures
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Oman vs Samoa – 11:45 AM NST
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Qatar vs UAE – 4:15 PM NST
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Nepal vs Kuwait – 8:45 PM NST
