KATHMANDU: The Nepali national cricket team will face Kuwait today in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup Asia–East Asia Pacific Qualifiers.
Nepal is placed in Group ‘B’ alongside Kuwait and Japan. The match against Kuwait is scheduled to begin at 8:45 PM (NST) on Wednesday, while Nepal will take on Japan in their second group-stage game on Friday.
This will be Nepal’s first competitive match against Japan, while their record against Kuwait has been mixed. Group ‘A’ includes UAE, Malaysia, and Qatar, while Group ‘C’ features Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.
Nepal enters the tournament in strong form, having recently clinched a T20 series win against the West Indies A team in the UAE and securing two practice-match victories in Oman.
The team is aiming for one of the three remaining Asian slots for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. So far, 17 teams have already qualified for the 20-nation event.
In the qualifiers, the top two teams from each group will advance to the ‘Super Six’ stage, a single round-robin format. The top three teams from the Super Six will secure their place in the World Cup.
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