Mumbai, February 17 – Dipendra Singh Airee delivered a brilliant unbeaten half-century as Nepal fought back twice – with both bat and ball – to defeat Scotland by seven wickets in a thrilling final over of Match 33 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
This was Nepal's first victory in the T20 World Cup after 12 attempts, and it left Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh at the last minute, disappointed. They had lost all their matches in the 2024 edition.
Airee smashed an unbeaten 50 off 23 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes, with crucial contributions from Kushal Bhurtel (43 off 35), Aasif Sheikh (33 off 27), and Kushal Jha (24 not out off 17), which helped Nepal secure a memorable victory in their final league match.
Nepal fought back in the last five overs in both innings. They first restricted Scotland with the ball when the European team was looking to set a massive total and limited them to 170/7. Then, with the bat, they came back strongly from 98/3 in the 14th over, scoring 75 runs in the last six overs with Airee hitting four fours and three sixes, while Jha hit one four and two sixes when it mattered most, helping Nepal reach 173/3 in 19.2 overs to secure their maiden T20 World Cup win.
Chasing 171, Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh provided a good start for Nepal, scoring 74 runs for the first-wicket partnership. Bhurtel was aggressive, hitting one four and two sixes off Mark Watt in the fifth over. They ended the powerplay with 56 without any loss.
However, they faltered, losing Bhurtel, Sheikh, and captain Rohit Paudel (16) in quick succession, all three falling to off-spinner Michael Leask, who bowled a brilliant three-over spell for 3-9 before Airee smashed 20 runs in his last over, making it 3-30.
Just when it seemed like Nepal would falter again, Airee and Jha launched a sensational attack on the Scotland bowlers, ensuring they left with a memorable win from their second T20 World Cup.
Scotland had their chances, but Nepal showed better nerves and fought back gallantly to achieve a victory that will be a part of their sports history as one of the best.
Earlier, Sompal Kami led Nepal's first comeback with the ball, taking three wickets, including two in three balls, as they restricted Scotland, who were cruising at 130/1 in the 15th over and looked at a total of over 180, to 170/7.
Michael Jones had smashed a superb 71, giving Scotland a great start, but Nepal made a brilliant comeback to turn the tide.
Jones hit eight fours and two sixes in his 45-ball knock and shared crucial partnerships – 80 for the opening wicket with George Munsey, and 52 for the second with Brandon McMullen, as Scotland were approaching a total of over 180, while their bowlers failed to capitalize on the opportunity to bowl first.
Jones gave Scotland a great start, along with George Munsey, scoring 80 runs for the first-wicket partnership. After two quiet overs at the start, Jones exploded into action with a four and a six off Airee in the third over. He punched square and steered behind point with back-to-back deliveries from Nandan Yadav to the fence, and continued with two fours off Kami in the fifth over.
Jones unleashed shots all around the ground, including cuts, drives, and punches, while the Nepal pacers struggled to find the length.
Jones, who reached his fifty off 31 balls (6x4, 2x6), and Brandon McMullen scored 52 runs for the second wicket, with Jones hitting Lamichhane for a boundary and smashing Kushal Bhurtel for four and six.
However, just when it seemed like Scotland were cruising to a massive score, Nepal came back strong, with Sompal Kami restricting them with two wickets in three balls, dismissing Jones (71) with a slower ball from round the wicket and then taking a sensational one-handed reflex catch to send McMullan (25, 19 balls, 1x4, 1x1) back.
Nepal continued to put pressure and restricted them to a defendable total. Kami was the best bowler for Nepal with 3-25, while Nandan Yadav took 2-34 in the later part of the innings.
Brief Scores:
Scotland 170/7 in 20 overs (Michael Jones 71, George Munsey 27; Sompal Kami 3-25, Nandan Yadav 2-34) lost to Nepal 171/3 in 19.2 overs (Dipendra Singh Airee 50 not out, Kushal Bhurtel 43, Aasif Sheikh 33; Michael Leask 3-30) by seven wickets
