KATHMANDU: The Nepali national cricket team faces arch-rivals the United Arab Emirates national cricket team in the opening match of a two-game T20I series today (Monday).
The match will be held at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and is scheduled to begin at 5 pm.
Nepal is hosting an international series at home for the first time in two years. The side will be led by Dipendra Singh Airee in the T20I format.
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has appointed separate captains for T20Is and ODIs. Regular captain Rohit Paudel, along with fast bowlers Sompal Kami and Karan KC, is unavailable for this match.
This fixture carries added significance for Nepal for two reasons. First, it marks the team’s return to home international cricket after a two-year gap. Second, it will be the men’s team’s first match under floodlights following recent upgrades to the Kirtipur ground.
Head-to-Head
Nepal and the UAE have met 11 times in T20Is. Nepal has won six matches, while the UAE has won five.
Their most recent meeting came in October 2025 during a tri-series also involving Hong Kong. In the final at the TU Ground, Nepal lost to the UAE by four wickets.
The two sides first met in a T20I in 2019, when Nepal secured a 21-run victory.
Nepal Squad
Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Arif Sheikh, Bashir Ahmed, Gulshan Jha, Lokesh Bam, Nandan Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Arjun Saud, Hemant Dhami, Shahab Alam, and Sher Malla.
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