Nepal vs UAE: Historic Floodlight Cricket Begins Today

Nepal hosts the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a landmark T20I series opener at Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, marking the country's first ever home international match under floodlights. The match begins at 5:00 PM Today, (9 April 20, 2026).

Dipendra Singh Airee will captain Nepal in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Paudel, introducing a new era where different captains lead in different formats. Nepal enters as favorites with a 70% win probability, leveraging home advantage, passionate crowd support, and momentum from their recent T20 World Cup performance against Scotland.

The two teams have faced each other 11 times in T20Is, with only one previous match played at Kirtipur won by the UAE. Key players to watch include Nepal's Kushal Bhurtel and spin wizard Sandeep Lamichhane, while UAE will rely on captain Muhammad Waseem and all-rounder Aayan Afzal Khan.

This two match T20I series serves as crucial preparation before Nepal hosts the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series with UAE and Oman from April 25 to May 5.

Nepal’s 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, Sher Malla. Reserves: Pratish GC, Narayan Joshi, Rashid Khan.