In last October’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific combined qualifier held in Oman, opener Aasif Sheikh struck a half-century. He made 51 runs off 47 balls with four fours and a six, though his batting appeared somewhat slow.

Nepal failed to post the big score that had been expected against the United Arab Emirates. Although openers Kushal Bhurtel and Sheikh put on 56 runs for the first wicket, the other batters performed disappointingly after that, leaving Nepal limited to 140 runs.

While this was an improvement on earlier matches, it was not enough. In reply, UAE’s Alishan Sharafu made 58 runs and Dhruv Prasar 32, and the match appeared to be tilting toward the UAE. But in the final over, Dipendra Singh Airee delivered an outstanding performance with a hat-trick of wickets and the match took a dramatic turn. Nepal eventually held the UAE to 139 runs, pulling off a thrilling one-run victory to claim the title.

This win against the UAE was Nepal’s narrowest victory in T20 international history. Previously, Nepal’s smallest winning margin had been three runs, against Namibia in the five-nation T20I series played at home on 1 March 2024. These two closely matched rivals now meet at Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Monday and Tuesday.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is organizing this two-match series ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. These two matches will be the first time Nepal plays under floodlights at home. According to CAN, matches will begin at 5 p.m.

A perennial rival

Among Associate Nations, the UAE is widely regarded as Nepal’s main competitor, largely because the two sides have met regularly ever since Nepal received T20 international status in 2014.

The two sides have so far played 11 T20 internationals and the contest has been remarkably balanced. Nepal have won six and the UAE five. Their rivalry in this format began on 31 January 2018. In that first encounter at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai, Nepal’s then-head coach Umesh Patwal fielded an unexpected lineup.

In place of regular players such as Binod Bhandari, Arif Sheikh, and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, young players including Rohit Kumar Paudel, Abinash Bohora, and Sandeep Jora were given their debuts. Under Paras Khadka’s captaincy, 17-year-old Sandeep Jora played an outstanding unbeaten innings of 53 runs but Nepal lost by 21 runs.

Stuart Law, head coach of the Nepali team. Photo: CAN

In the second match the next day, the coach changed tack and prioritized experienced players. With Rohit rested, 18-year-old Pawan Sarraf was given a chance, a decision that paid off. Nepal not only won by four wickets but leveled the three-match series at 1-1.

In that match, Pawan Sarraf played a crucial partnership of 64 runs for the seventh wicket with Player of the Match Dipendra, taking the team to 101 in a difficult situation. Dipendra then played an unbeaten innings of 47 to help Nepal reach the target of 108 in a memorable victory. In the deciding match two days later, Jora contributed an important 28 while Abinash Bohara took two wickets with an excellent performance. Nepal won by 14 runs to take the three-match series 2-1.

The regular fast bowling pair of Sompal Kami and Karan KC will most likely be replaced this time by Hemanta Dhami and Nandan Yadav.

The rivalry since then has intensified. In the series held on 12 and 13 February 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepal suffered two consecutive defeats, by 25 runs and 68 runs respectively.

The following year, Nepal bounced back strongly on home soil. In matches played on 18 and 23 October 2023 in Oman, Nepal won by five wickets and seven wickets respectively, building a 4-3 lead across seven meetings. In the World Cup qualifier final that same month, Nepal won comfortably by eight wickets to deny the UAE their second consecutive and third overall World Cup appearance.

Binod Bhandari and Rohit (right). Photo: CAN

Since then the two sides have met just once a year, in ACC and ICC competitions. In the ACC Premier Cup semi-final at Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Oman on 19 April 2024, Nepal lost by six wickets. However, in the World Cup qualifier final at the same ground on 12 October 2025, Nepal won in a thrilling one-run finish to avenge that defeat.

A changed team

Of those who played in the first encounter in 2018, Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla, Pradeep Airee, and Basant Regmi have since retired from international cricket. Sandeep Jora, who got his chance young in that series and played a key role in two victories, is still active in the team and will likely feature in the UAE series on Monday and Tuesday.

Jora has not been in his best T20 form recently, which is why he did not play in the T20 World Cup. Even so, he has now played 39 T20 internationals, accumulating 489 runs including four half-centuries, two of which came against the UAE. The team will be expecting more of the same from him.

The two matches will be the first time Nepal plays under floodlights at home.

Sandeep Lamichhane in practice before the match against UAE. Photo: CAN

Of those from that early series, only Sandeep Lamichhane, Aarif Sheikh, and Dipendra Singh Airee will also feature in the current Nepal squad. Dipendra will captain Nepal in the series, with head coach Stuart Law resting regular captain Rohit Kumar Paudel and handing Dipendra the leadership responsibility.

Dipendra has already featured in the 2024 and 2026 World Cups under Rohit’s captaincy. Beyond that, there are some important changes in the team; the regular fast bowling pair of Sompal Kami and Karan KC will most likely be replaced this time by Hemant Dhami and Nandan Yadav.

Sandeep Jora in practice before the match against UAE. Photo: CAN

There is a change in the spin department too, with Shahab Alam included in the squad in place of Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, a change expected to add a new option to the bowling combination and contribute to the win tally.