KATHMANDU: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has included Nepal in its pre-World Cup trophy tour ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
According to the ICC, the trophy will be brought to Nepal as part of the Asian leg of the tour. The tour will also cover host nation India, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Mongolia.
Nepal is set to play the T20 World Cup for the third time. In the tournament, Nepal has been placed in Group ‘C’, which is considered one of the toughest groups of the competition.
Group ‘C’ features two-time champions West Indies, one-time champions England, Bangladesh, Italy, and Nepal. Nepal will face England and Italy for the first time in T20 World Cup history.
All of Nepal’s group-stage matches will be played in Mumbai. Italy, meanwhile, will be making their maiden World Cup appearance after qualifying from the European qualifiers, where the Netherlands and Italy secured spots ahead of Scotland.
Nepal previously participated in the T20 World Cup in 2014 and 2024. A total of 20 teams are competing in the tournament, divided into four groups.
Group ‘A’ includes arch-rivals India and Pakistan along with the United States, the Netherlands, and Namibia. Group ‘B’ features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman, while Group ‘D’ comprises South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, which will be divided into two groups. The top two teams from each Super Eight group will qualify for the semifinals.
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