T20 World Cup: Fearless Nepal eye first points, face Italy
What's the story
Nepal will take on Italy in Match 17 of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup on February 12. The match will be played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, starting at 3:00pm IST. This is a crucial game for both teams as they are still searching for their first win in this tournament. Nepal nearly stunned England in their opener, losing the final-ball thriller by four runs. Meanwhile, Italy lost to Scotland.
Details
Pitch report and conditions
The surface offered at Wankhede Stadium is usually batting-friendly. As has been the case, the batters will enjoy the spongy bounce at this venue. According to ESPNcricinfo, the first two matches here have seen scores of 161/9 and 184/7 (first innings). Nepal have already played here, against England. With this being a day encounter, dew is unlikely to set in.
Nepal
Nepal's impressive start
In their opener, Nepal came close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history. They narrowly missed out on beating England, the 2022 champions. Despite this, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel said after the match that they are not here "just to participate." Probable XI: Kushal Bhartel, Aasif Sheikh (wicket-keeper), Rohit Paudel (captain), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Sher Malla.
Italy
Italy to miss captain Wayne Madsen
Italy have been dealt a major blow, with their captain Wayne Madsen dislocating his shoulder while fielding in the opening game. In his absence, Harry Manenti is set to lead the side. Probable XI: Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Marcus Campopiano, Harry Manenti (captain), Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade (wicket-keeper), Thomas Draca, Crishan Kalugamage, and Ali Hasan.
Numbers
A look at notable numbers
Nepal and Italy haven't squared off in T20Is so far. Dipendra Singh Airee recently became the first Nepal player to complete 2,000 runs in T20I cricket. Anthony Mosca is set to become the first Italy batter with 500 T20I runs. He is eight runs shy of the mark. According to ESPNcricinfo, Lamichhane's economy rate of 6.03 is the best among bowlers with 130 T20I wickets.