Still searching for their first win in the ICC T20 World Cup after more than a decade, Nepal will look to finally go the distance when they take on tournament debutants Italy in a Group C clash on Thursday.

Nepal made their World Cup debut 12 years ago and registered two memorable wins in the 2014 edition, defeating Hong Kong and Afghanistan. However, the Himalayan nation has remained winless since, despite coming agonisingly close to breaking the drought on multiple occasions.

In recent years, Nepal have pushed established Test-playing nations to the brink. They lost to South Africa by just one run in 2024 and suffered a 21-run defeat against Bangladesh in the same year. Their narrow four-run loss to England at the Wankhede Stadium last Sunday was another heartbreaking result, but one that firmly thrust Nepal into the spotlight.

Despite a 10-year gap between World Cup appearances, Nepal matched two-time champions England in almost every department, showing remarkable composure and resilience on the game’s biggest stage. Far from being overawed by the occasion, the Rhinos fed off the energy of a raucous crowd of 17,008 at the Wankhede, with fan support rivaling that seen during home matches at the venue.

Nepal’s batting has plenty of firepower. Kushal Bhurtel remains the key aggressor at the top, while a strong middle order featuring Dipendra Singh Airee, captain Rohit Paudel and Aarif Sheikh provides stability and explosiveness. Lokesh Bam’s fearless stroke play against England nearly pulled off a famous upset, as he took on the likes of Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, while Karan KC played a supporting role.

However, Nepal will want to address a few areas of concern. The side struggled to find boundaries during the middle overs in their chase against England, and their running between the wickets needs improvement. With the ball, they were disciplined for much of England’s innings but leaked too many runs at the death.

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Italy, meanwhile, will be keen to bounce back from a heavy 73-run defeat to Scotland in their tournament opener. Their campaign was further dented by captain Wayne Madsen dislocating his shoulder early in the match, with Harry Manenti likely to lead the side.

Italy experimented with as many as seven bowling options but failed to rein in Scotland, who posted a commanding 207. Their response with the bat was equally underwhelming, with six batters falling for single-digit scores, including three ducks.

Ben Manenti’s half-century and a few late blows from Harry Manenti were among the few positives for Italy, who will be eager to produce a far more complete performance in their remaining matches.

Teams (from)

Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav.

Italy: Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Harry Manenti, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Ali Hasan, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Ben Manenti, Zain Ali.

Match starts: 3:00 pm IST