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Chennai: In an impressive display, Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 7 wickets in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match, successfully chasing a target of 146 with 18 balls to spare.

Batting first, UAE scored 145/6 in 20 overs. Key performances for UAE included:

• Aryansh Sharma: 25 (17 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)

• Sohail Khan: 38* (27 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)

• Harshit Kaushik: 35 (24 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes)

For Nepal, the bowlers impressed with their discipline and control. Sandeep Lamichhane took 2 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs, Karan KC grabbed 2 wickets in 3 overs, and Dipendra Singh Airee contributed with 1 wicket for 12 runs in 3 overs.

Nepal’s chase began with a few early setbacks as openers struggled:

• Kushal Bhurtel: 8

• Asif Sheikh: 8

• Captain Rohit Paudel: 16

However, the middle order stabilized the innings with aggressive knocks:

• Dipendra Singh Airee: 50* (31 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)

• Arif Sheikh: 61* (37 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes)

Nepal reached 148/3 in 17 overs, sealing a comfortable victory.

The standout feature of the match was Nepal’s excellent coordination between batting and bowling, giving the team both confidence and rhythm ahead of the main T20 World Cup tournament.

Match Summary:

• UAE: 145/6 (20 overs)

• Nepal: 148/3 (17 overs)

• Result: Nepal won by 7 wickets (18 balls remaining)

• Top Performers: Dipendra Singh Airee & Arif Sheikh (batting), Sandeep Lamichhane & Karan KC (bowling)