Nepal ends memorable T20 World Cup 2026 sojourn with win against Scotland

For the fourth time in less than two weeks, a sea of red and blue jerseys descended upon the Wankhede Stadium. And it turned out to be a case of fourth-time lucky for Nepal as it ended its memorable Men’s T20 World Cup sojourn by gifting the 19,000-odd fans with a much-anticipated win against Scotland.

The two Michaels – Jones and Leask – excelled with the willow and the orb, respectively, to put Scotland in ascendancy. But a late charge in both the halves of the game meant Nepal eventually crossed the target of 171 runs with four balls and seven wickets to spare on Tuesday night.

The star of Nepal’s exploits turned out to be veteran allrounder Dipendra Singh Airee and his unbroken 73-run partnership off 36 balls with left-hander Gulshan Jha. When Jha walked out to bat with Nepal requiring 72 runs off 40 balls, with offie Leask having claimed all three wickets, Scotland was in charge.

Airee started the onslaught by targeting Leask in the 16th over that went for 20 runs, with two maximums on the on-side. However, it was Jha who played the shot of the day with his inside-out lofted drive off pacer Brad Currie that sailed into the Divecha Pavilion over covers. With the target in sight, Airee preferred to rotate strike and with five required off the last over, Jha finished the game off with a four through midwicket off Brad Wheal.

NEPAL vs SCOTLAND HIGHLIGHTS

Had it not been for the Nepal bowlers’ comeback in the last five overs, with veteran Sompal Kami being the wrecker-in-chief, Nepal would have been chasing a much stiffer target. At 131 for one in 15 overs and Jones well-set, Scotland was eyeing 200. But Kami spun his web and Nepal claimed six for 39 in the last five overs to rein the game in, decisively.

Published on Feb 17, 2026