Nepal eye Italy victory to revive Super Eight hopes

By Pramod Joshi, Kathmandu, Feb. 12: Nepal’s national cricket team will be feeling the heat in their second match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, having already captured cricket world's attention with a near-upset against world No. 3 England in their opener on 8 February.

Despite falling short by just four runs, Nepal earned plaudits from leading cricketers for their bold display. 

All eyes now turn to their clash with Italy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon, with both sides seeking a first victory in this edition of the tournament.

Italy, ranked 27th, are making their World Cup debut. A win over 16th-placed Nepal would mark their historic first triumph on the global stage. Nepal, meanwhile, are desperate to end a 12-year drought, having last won a World Cup fixture in March 2014.

This is Nepal’s third appearance at the T20 World Cup, following their debut in Bangladesh in 2014 and a second outing in 2024, co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. 

Their last victory came against Afghanistan on 20 March 2014, after an opening win over Hong Kong and a defeat to hosts Bangladesh. Since then, the Rhinos have endured a barren run, despite producing spirited performances against Full Member nations.

In the 2024 edition, Nepal lost three of their four group matches, with one abandoned due to rain. They went down to the Netherlands, saw their fixture against Sri Lanka washed out, and suffered narrow defeats to South Africa (by one run) and Bangladesh (by 21 runs). Their valiant efforts against South Africa and Bangladesh drew international headlines at the time.

Captain Rohit Paudel believes those near misses have raised Nepal’s profile. “Against South Africa, it was the first time we came so close,” he said. “The last game against England has given us a lot more spotlight.”

'Can manage pressure'

Before departing for the World Cup, Captain Paudel declared that Nepal’s target was to reach the Super Eight. Having lost their opening match, Paudel’s side are now under pressure, needing victories in each of their remaining three fixtures to secure a place in the Super Eight. 

Paudel insists his side are ready to absorb the pressure of the World Cup stage. “Playing in a World Cup inevitably brings pressure, but only those who can absorb it succeed. We have played in front of large crowds and shown we can manage the pressure,” he said at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.

He added that lessons had been learned from the England defeat. “We understood how to take decisions in crunch situations and how to handle pressure.” While stressing the importance of executing plans against stronger sides such as the West Indies and Scotland, Paudel warned against underestimating Italy. 

“Every team in the World Cup is strong. Italy have been performing well recently, so we will not take them lightly. Having already faced one of the tournament’s strongest teams, our morale is high going into the Italy match.”

The Rhinos, however, need a convincing victory over Italy in order to remain in contention for the Super Eight.

Thursday’s fixture will be the first T20 meeting between Nepal and Italy. The two sides have met three times in the 50-over format, with Nepal victorious on each occasion: in Malaysia in 2005, Italy in 2010, and Bermuda in 2013. Italy had withdrawn from the ICC Trophy in 2001, preventing a scheduled encounter, and the teams did not meet during the global qualifiers in 2012 and 2013.

Italy qualified for this year’s tournament via the European regional pathway and arrive at Wankhede after a heavy defeat to Scotland in their opener. Nepal, by contrast, will play all their group matches at the Mumbai venue, a factor Paudel believes could work in their favour. “The Wankhede wicket suits us. Playing all our matches here is advantageous for Nepal,” he said.