Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium hosted an exciting Group C encounter Nepal Took on the giants, west indiesin the 25th match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Under the afternoon sun and amid a vocal crowd, the story of the first innings was one of survival, grit and a surprising late attack. After West Indies won the toss and elected to field, their pace attack initially looked set to overwhelm the Rhinos, but Deependra Singh Airi Produced a masterclass in counter-attacking cricket to lead a remarkable Nepali recovery.
The match started with complete dominance by West Indies. Matthew Forde And Akil Hossein They took advantage of the early hustle under Mumbai’s humid skies, leaving Nepal in trouble at 17/3 in the first five overs. The top order struggled to deal with the bounce and discipline of the Caribbean giants with the captain Rohit Paudel Falling victim to a marginal LBW call via DRS. When? Aarif Shaikh After being bowled out for 2 runs from 8 balls, Nepal looked in danger of scoring under 100, reading 23/4 after the powerplay – the lowest score of the tournament so far at this venue.
Deependra Singh Airi saved Nepal by playing a sensational innings against West Indies.
With the scorecard reading a disappointing 46/5 in the 11th over, the stage was set for Nepal’s premier all-rounder Airey to showcase his maturity. Instead of swinging blindly, Eri started the innings with tactical precision. He initially rotated the strike, finding gaps against spin. gudakesh pearl And Roston Chase. However, it was the advent of Sompal Kami The fall of the sixth wicket really changed the momentum.
Both of them made a sensational partnership of 50 runs in just 24 balls for the seventh wicket. Airey, who eventually reached his innings of 58 off 47 balls, hit a flurry of boundaries, including three skyscraper sixes, that cleared the Wankhede ropes with ease. His ability to manipulate the field forced West Indies captain Shai Hope to rethink his death over strategies. While Airi played the role of aggressor, Kami provided the perfect foil as she remained unbeaten with a quickfire 26 off 15 balls, ensuring the tail wagged effectively.
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Nepal posted a competitive total in a crucial match of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Despite the late night fireworks, jason holder Proved why he remains a vital cog in the West Indies machine. Holder was the best of the bowlers, finishing with exceptional figures of 4/27, which included the crucial wicket of Airey in the final over when he was once again trying to cross the boundary. Shamar Joseph And Ford provided strong support by keeping the pressure on the lower order despite leaking late runs.
Nepal finished their 20 overs at 133/8, which looked impossible during the first ten overs. The flow of the match suggested a game of two halves: West Indies dominated the powerplay (22 runs, 3 wickets), but Nepal conceded 60 runs in the last five overs at an economy of 12.00. The pace of that late counter-attack has given the Nepali bowlers something to defend on a pitch that is showing signs of slowing down.
