Nepali team announced for T20I, Kushal returns to national team

Kathmandu: The Nepali national cricket team has been announced for the Top & T20 series to be held in Darwin, Australia from August 14 to 24.

Kushal Malla has returned to the team this time. He was not included in the team for the Stockland Tour before. With a top-end performance, he will have the opportunity to make his way back into the team to play international tournaments.

The announced 16-member team:

Rohit Poudel (captain),
Dipendra Singh Airi (vice-captain),
Sandeep Lamichhane,
Kushal Bhurtel,
Asif Sheikh,
Kushal Malla,
Gulshan Jha,
Arif Sheikh,
Bhim Sarki,
Rupesh Kumar Singh,
Sompal Kami,
Nandan Kumar Yadav,
Karan KC,
Rijan Dhakal,
Lokesh Bam and
Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi.

The schedule of matches that the Nepali cricket team will play in the Australian Top End T-20 series has also been made public. Nepal will play 6 matches in the league stage in this series, which includes 11 teams including Nepal.

Nepal will play their first match on August 15 against local team Northern Territory Strike. The second match will be against Bangladesh ‘A’ on August 16. The third match Nepal will play against Melbourne Stars on August 18. The fourth match will be against Hobart Hurricanes on August 19 and the fifth match will be against Melbourne Renegades on August 20. Nepal will play their last league match against Pakistan Shaheens on August 22.

This year’s tournament features Nepal, Pakistan Shaheens (Pakistan ‘A’), Bangladesh ‘A’ and Chicago Kingsmen from the US, along with Australia’s five Big Bash Academy teams — Hobart Hurricanes, Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades — as well as ACT Comets and the local NT Strike.

After the league stage, the top 4 teams will play semi-finals and then the final. If Nepal reaches the final, they will play a total of 8 matches. In the previous edition held in 2023, only 5 teams participated, while this time 11 teams have reached the final.

Nepal is playing this tournament as a preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifiers to be held in October.

Nepal is also playing a historic T20I series against West Indies in September.