Nepal captain Rohit Paudel made a big statement following his team’s phenomenal performance against England in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Nepal almost scripted a historic victory as they came agonisingly close to chasing down the massive target of 185.
The Rohit Paudel-led side finished their innings on 180/6 in their allotted 20 overs, losing the match by just four runs. Following his team’s remarkable show in their tournament opener, Paudel revealed that he was extremely proud of his players for their stellar effort and stated that Nepal were not at the World Cup merely to participate, but to compete strongly against every team in the tournament.
“I think the boys gave it all. I am very proud of them and of the collective effort of the team. When we came to the ground today, the only message to the group was that whatever we have, we’ll give 110% on the ground. We had belief when we came to this World Cup. We didn’t come here just to participate, we want to compete. We had that belief in the group that we can beat any of the sides if we play our best brand of cricket, and I thought today we played our best brand of cricket,” said Paudel in the post-match presentation.
T20 World Cup: England vs Nepal Highlights
Paudel also mentioned that even though the result did not go in their favour, the team gave 100 per cent in every department. The Nepal captain further stated that no side would take associate teams lightly going forward in the tournament.
Lokesh Bam fights till end for Nepal
“The result didn’t go our way, but effort-wise we gave 100% in every department. The last over, Sam Curran bowled really well. We will improve from there. We were calculating and wanted wickets in hand with ten runs per over in the last few overs. It wasn’t a plan to take on Adil Rashid; it just happened. We will not take any team lightly. I think all the other teams in this tournament will also not take any of the associate teams or any side lightly. That’s the message, but we as a team need to be at our 100%. The fans are very passionate. The whole of Kathmandu, Nepal, came here to support us. I think all of Nepal will be proud of us,” he added.
Paudel (39 off 34) and Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29) kept their team in the hunt during the middle overs with a massive 82-run partnership for the third wicket off 54 balls. Following their dismissals, Lokesh Bam (39* off 20) kept Nepal’s hopes alive with his late fireworks. However, with ten runs needed off the final over, Sam Curran (1/27) held his nerve, nailing perfect yorkers to guide England to a thrilling victory. Will Jacks was adjudged Player of the Match for his fiery innings of 39* off 18 balls and for also claiming figures of 1/17 in his two overs.
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