Buoyed by strong support, Paudel's Nepal search for two points against Italy

It is not a must-win for either side, but another defeat will drastically reduce their playoff chances

Himanshu Agrawal

Feb 11, 2026, 1:08 PM • 3 hrs ago

Big picture: All-Associate clash as Nepal take on Italy

Nepal enter the contest against Italy, a team they have never faced before, on the back of falling short by just one big blow against England on Sunday. Nepal will look to bring that same brand of cricket in Mumbai again and will believe they hold the edge and momentum against their fellow Associates, who are playing their first big tournament.

Emerging from the shadows of the globetrotting legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane are batters Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam, who all but took their side over the line in front of loud and energetic fans. But with the ball, Nepal conceded 33 runs in the last two overs of the first innings in that game, and that turned out to be the difference.

However, two points - and a possible big margin of victory - against Italy will open Nepal's group up before they face West Indies; Nepal had beaten West Indies 2-1 last September.

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Italy, meanwhile, had a tough initiation at the T20 World Cup with a 73-run defeat against Scotland. They also lost their captain Wayne Madsen to injury inside four overs of their T20 World Cup debut. He will not feature against Nepal either.

Italy coach John Davison said after the loss that the "occasion may have got big on us". With nothing to lose and experience to gain, Italy have another chance to have fun and potentially upset some calculations, before facing stronger oppositions England and West Indies.

Form guide

Italy LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)

Nepal LWWWW

In the spotlight: Ben Manenti and Lokesh Bam

Batting at No. 5, Ben Manenti was one of the positives for Italy in their loss to Scotland. He started with only seven runs off seven balls, but went on to smash 52 in 31. The majority of his runs came against spinners (45 runs in 25 balls) with shots all around: behind square, through cover, and over the bowler's head. Italy will hope Ben Manenti carries that confidence against Lamichhane and co.

Lokesh Bam threw everything he had at England when they needed 54 in 21 balls, but fell agonisingly short. Facing quality and experienced bowlers, he smacked back-to-back fours off Sam Curran and successive sixes off Jofra Archer as England searched for answers. Bam's 39 not out was not enough on the day, but he gave solid proof of his big-hitting ability, something the format demands.

Team news: Harry Manenti to captain Italy

Madsen has been ruled out against Nepal, and in his absence, Harry Manenti, the younger of the two brothers, will be leading Italy. Middle-order batter Marcus Campopiano could replace Madsen in the side.

Italy (probable): 1 Anthony Mosca, 2 Justin Mosca, 3 JJ Smuts, 4 Marcus Campopiano, 5 Harry Manenti (capt), 6 Ben Manenti, 7 Grant Stewart, 8 Gian-Piero Meade (wk), 9 Thomas Draca, 10 Crishan Kalugamage, 11 Ali Hasan

Nepal might look to play the same team that ran England close at the same ground on Sunday.

Nepal (probable): 1 Aasif Sheikh (wk), 2 Kushal Bhurtel, 3 Rohit Paudel (capt), 4 Dipendra Airee, 5 Aarif Sheikh, 6 Lokesh Bam, 7 Gulsan Jha, 8 Karan KC, 9 Sandeep Lamichhane, 10 Nandan Yadav, 11 Sher Malla

Pitch and conditions: Warm conditions expected

The first two games at the Wankhede Stadium saw scores of 161 and 184 batting first, and both were successfully defended. Nepal and Italy face-off in the afternoon on Thursday, so dew might not play a big role. It could be a warm afternoon, with temperatures in the mid-30 degrees.

Stats and trivia

Ben and Harry Manenti's partnership of 73 against Scotland was the second-highest between brothers in a T20 World Cup. The highest is the 96 which Kamran and Umar Akmal added against Australia in 2014

Fourteen bowlers have taken at least 130 wickets in T20Is, and Sandeep Lamichhane's economy rate of 6.03 is the best among them.

Quotes

"Yes, disappointment is there, but I think as a group, we need to see the way we played against England, one of the favourite teams in the tournament, and I think as a group it gave a lot of confidence to us. We have been planning well, so now it's time to execute those plans."

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel takes the positives from the close defeat to England

Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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