Nepal beat the UAE by seven wickets in a T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday. Aarif Sheikh scored 61 runs off 37 balls. Dipendra Singh Airee made 50 runs off 31 balls. The two put on an unbeaten 103-run stand to chase down 146 with 18 balls left.
Nepal won the toss and chose to field first. UAE made 145 for six wickets in their 20 overs. Sohaib Khan top-scored with 38 runs off 27 balls. Harshit Kaushik added 35 runs off 24 balls. The two put on a 50-run partnership, but the UAE lost four wickets in quick succession after that.
UAE Start Well Before Middle-Order Collapse
UAE reached 41 for one in the power play. Sohaib and Kaushik looked comfortable at the crease. They built a 50-run stand off 38 balls. That took the UAE to a strong position. Then everything went wrong.
UAE slipped from that position to 76 for five wickets by the 14th over. They lost four wickets for just 35 runs in that stretch. Karan KC took two wickets for 26 runs. Sandeep Lamichhane also grabbed two wickets and gave away 24 runs. Dipendra bowled tightly and picked up one wicket while conceding only 12 runs.
The Nepal squad had announced their plans for the World Cup earlier. This warm-up match gave them a chance to test their combinations. The UAE could not build any more partnerships after losing those quick wickets. They finished on 145 for six after 20 overs.
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Nepal Recover From Early Trouble
Nepal started the chase poorly. They lost three wickets in the first seven overs. The score stood at 45 for three in the seventh over. That put Nepal under real pressure chasing a modest target. One more wicket at that stage and the UAE could have taken control.
Aarif and Dipendra walked out together and changed the game completely. They added 103 runs without getting out. The partnership came off in just 61 balls. That meant they scored at over 10 runs per over through the middle and death overs.
Aarif hit eight fours and two sixes in his 37-ball knock. Dipendra smashed four fours and one six in his 31-ball innings. Both reached their fifties and stayed till the end. Nepal got to 148 for three in just 17 overs. The venue decision for the main tournament had been finalized weeks earlier, and warm-up matches like this helped teams prepare for different conditions.
Warm-up Matches Continue This Week
This was a warm-up match before the T20 World Cup starts on February 7. Nepal will play Canada next on February 5. The UAE have a match against Italy scheduled for February 6. Both teams are using these games to get ready for the main tournament.
Dipendra showed his all-round value in this match. He took one wicket for 12 runs when bowling. Then he came out and scored 50 not out with the bat. That kind of performance wins matches in T20 cricket. Aarif was the top scorer, but Dipendra did work at both ends.
Nepal chased down the target with three overs left. That is a comfortable win in a T20 match. The early loss of three wickets could have been a problem. Aarif and Dipendra made sure it was not. The UAE will be worried about their middle-order collapse. Losing four wickets in three overs is not ideal heading into a World Cup.
The match finished under lights at Chepauk. Both teams got valuable game time before the tournament began. Nepal look in good form after this win. The UAE need to sort out their batting collapse issues quickly with Italy coming up in three days.
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