Nepal have in recent times been a team every team must be wary of. Across the last two World Cups, they came within touching distance of beating South Africa, Bangladesh and in the most recent edition, were one hit away from beating England. Had one of the matches gone their way, Nepal cricket would have a lot more to be happy about, but take nothing away from their rise.
It’s not just the effort the team has put in on the field, but the administrators behind the scenes have worked rigourously worked hard to ensure that the cricket team gets top-notch facilities. Most recently, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) installed floodlights at the TU Cricket Ground, giving their players more game time to play under lights in their own backyard.
The Mulpani Cricket Ground too was erected, thanks to the hard work not just from the administrators, but also the fans, who came together to get the stadium up and running in quick time. The new stadium not only gave Nepal Cricket another venue, a venue to host plenty of A games as well.
Moreover, the first two seasons of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) have been a huge success. Blending in with some international stars and at the same time, the Nepal cricketers have held their own. Added to that, the NPL has given the world a glimpse of the future of Nepal cricket.
The coach effect
Nepal have been lucky to have a couple of excellent coaches as well. Previously, Monty Desai achieved unprecedented heights with Nepal cricket. His team made Asia Cups, World Cup Qualifiers, T20 World Cup and that was possible only when he instilled a positive mindset within the team, taking over during a tough period.
However, after going winless in the T20 World Cup 2024, followed by some mixed results, Stuart Law was appointed head coach. Law had previously guided the USA to a Super 8 finish in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the decision for him to succeed Desai is certainly a positive move.
However, that challenge persists. Although Nepal did well in patches at the 2026 T20 World Cup, they could win only one of their four matches. His next challenge is to get Nepal ready for the ICC CWC League 2, where the goal is to finish in the top four and make it through to the World Cup Qualifier a key step in securing a qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Under Law, Nepal have made decent progress on that front, having won four of their nine matches. Under Desai, Nepal had just a couple of wins in 12 matches. Their recent win against the UAE was a hard-fought one. That is just one of the hurdles they have successfully crossed, but there are plenty more to come in a span of a month.
They have some more home games in the League 2 against UAE, Oman, Scotland and the USA. If they win all of them, they could even get into the top four by the end of the two series, which is where they want to be when the cycle comes to an end. Easier said than done, of course, but the upcoming seven fixtures for them could be key in determining where they would end up.
The players behind Nepal’s rise
There’s no doubt the talent in the Nepal team is abundant. Right from their skipper Rohit Paudel, who is not just a shrewd leader, but also someone who believes in leading by example. Their openers, Aasif Shikh and Kushan Bhurtel too have been among the main reasons behind so many of Nepal’s wins. Only three other opening pairs have scored more runs than them in ODIs since 2023.
In this period, Sandeep Lamichhane, with 68 scalps, has been Nepal’s ever-reliable bowler, but if there’s one player who is the definition of an all-rounder it is Dipendra Singh Aire. The team is not just reliant on his batting and bowling, but also look up to him when it comes to fielding. A livewire on the field, Airee recently played a massive role with the bat in Nepal’s win over UAE. He scored 75 off 90 in a total of 200 and then produced a spell of 1/30 to help his side to a comfortable victory.
Moreover, his fielding and his run-outs often lift the team from dead situations and at times push them to victories.
Is ODI World Cup even a priority for associates?
The Netherlands are prime example of how seriously they take not just qualifying for World Cups, but also competing in them. They qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup in the most dramatic fashion, but they were not just happy making it to the mega event. They went to India, beat South Africa and Bangladesh, and most importantly, they did not give the impression of rolling over against any opposition.
They might have finished at the bottom of the table, but they made the world take note of their talent.
Nepal, too must strive to achieve what the Dutch have over the years. Netherlands have made it to every single T20 World Cup since 2021 and they are in a good position to finish in the top four in League 2 as well.
While Nepal have made it to back-to-back T20 World Cups, their aim should be not just to make it a hat-trick, but also give it their all to make the ODI World Cup next year. At the 2023 Qualifiers, Nepal competed hard against every team including Zimbabwe and Ireland, but they managed to walk away with just two wins.
While Nepal have had plenty of chances to topple the big teams, they have fallen short on more than one occasion. However, one can only hope that they will learn from those experiences and build a unit that cannot be taken lightly.
It is always nice when everything falls into place. But for Nepal, it has not quite happened yet, but it certainly cannot be attributed to lack of effort – neither from their players, nor the administrators or their fans.
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