Nepal National Cricket Team vs UAE National Cricket Team: In a historic first, the United Arab Emirates will visit Nepal for the 1st T20I of the two-match series at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, marking a historic occasion for the hosts. The game, set for April 20, will serve as a spectacle for locals, marking one of Nepal’s home international series played under floodlights.
Dipendra Singh Airee will captain Nepal, with important contributions anticipated from key players such as Kushal Bhurtel and Sandeep Lamichhane. The UAE will depend significantly on captain Muhammad Waseem and the currently performing Alishan Sharafu to challenge the host team.
The conditions in Kirtipur are anticipated to significantly influence the match. The pitch typically provides support to batters initially but slows down, allowing spinners to become effective as the match advances.
Nepal will begin as the slight favourites due to their knowledge of local conditions and recent edge over the UAE. Nonetheless, the UAE has a well-rounded team and sufficient strength to take on the hosts. With the inclusion of a day-night format, this series opener is set to be a tightly contested battle between two well-matched Associate teams.
The Nepal vs UAE 1st T20I match will take place on Monday (April 20).
The first T20I between Nepal and the UAE will begin at 5 PM IST, with the toss scheduled at 4:30 PM IST.
The Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, will host the historic Day-Night match between Nepal and the UAE.
The 1st T20I between Nepal and the UAE will be aired live on Kantipur TV Max in Nepal, while Indian fans can watch the match on FanCode through its app and website. Global digital options are accessible, such as CricLife Max (through StarzPlay) in the UAE and T Sports in Bangladesh, providing extensive coverage of the day-night match.
Nepal Full Squad:
| S.No | Player Name | Role |
| 1 | Dipendra Singh Airee (C) | All-rounder |
| 2 | Sandeep Lamichhane | Bowler (Leg-spin) |
| 3 | Kushal Bhurtel | Batter (Top-order) |
| 4 | Kushal Malla | All-rounder |
| 5 | Sundeep Jora | Batter |
| 6 | Aasif Sheikh | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 7 | Basir Ahmad | Batter |
| 8 | Gulshan Jha | All-rounder |
| 9 | Lokesh Bam | Batter |
| 10 | Santosh Yadav | Bowler (Fast) |
| 11 | Arjun Saud | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 12 | Hemant Dhami | Bowler (Fast) |
| 13 | Nandan Yadav | Bowler (Fast) |
| 14 | Shahab Alam | Bowler (Spin) |
| 15 | Sher Malla | All-rounder |
UAE Full Squad:
| S.No | Player Name | Role |
| 1 | Muhammad Waseem (C) | Batter (Top-order) |
| 2 | Alishan Sharafu | Batter (Top-order) |
| 3 | Asif Khan | Batter (Middle-order) |
| 4 | Aryansh Sharma | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 5 | Aayan Afzal Khan | All-rounder |
| 6 | Basil Hameed | All-rounder |
| 7 | Junaid Siddique | Bowler (Fast) |
| 8 | Zahoor Khan | Bowler (Fast) |
| 9 | Karthik Meiyappan | Bowler (Leg-spin) |
| 10 | Muhammad Jawadullah | Bowler (Fast) |
| 11 | Nilansh Keswani | All-rounder |
| 12 | Sanchit Sharma | Bowler (Fast) |
| 13 | Ali Naseer | All-rounder |
| 14 | Hazrat Bilal | Bowler (Fast) |
| 15 | Lovepreet Singh | Bowler (Fast) |
| S.No | Match | Result |
| 1 | Scotland vs Nepal (17 Feb 2026) | Nepal won by 7 wickets |
| 2 | West Indies vs Nepal (15 Feb 2026) |
West Indies won by 9 wickets
|
| 3 | Nepal vs Italy (12 Feb 2026) | Italy won by 10 wickets |
| 4 | England vs Nepal (8 Feb 2026) | England won by 4 runs |
| 5 | Canada vs Nepal (5 Feb 2026) | Nepal won by 6 wickets |
| S.No | Match | Result |
| 1 | South Africa vs UAE (18 Feb 2026) | South Africa won by 6 wickets |
| 2 | Afghanistan vs UAE (16 Feb 2026) | Afghanistan won by 5 wickets |
| 3 | Canada vs UAE (13 Feb 2026) | UAE won by 5 wickets |
| 4 | New Zealand vs UAE (10 Feb 2026) | New Zealand won by 10 wickets |
| 5 | Italy vs UAE (6 Feb 2026) (Warm-up) | Italy won by 112 runs |
Vishal Pushkar is a Chief Sub-Editor with NewsX and has been associated with the company since March 2026. He has been working as a journalist since 2021. His experience includes working with Zee Media, Amazon and Dainik Jagran. Vishal holds a BA (English Honours) degree from Shyam Lal College, University of Delhi and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. Vishal has completed a beginner’s course in the German language as well.
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