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Mumbai, Feb 6: Nepal will take on a strong England side in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday. The match will be held in Mumbai’s famous Wankhede Stadium at 3:15 PM.

The tournament began on Saturday, with three matches completed on the opening day. In all three games, associate teams pushed Test-playing nations hard. The Netherlands challenged Pakistan, Scotland put up a fight against the West Indies, and the United States competed strongly against India. Nepal, too, will be aiming to produce something special against a side like England.

England have, on occasion, suffered unexpected defeats against lesser-fancied teams. Nepal’s pace bowler Sompal Kami had said before the World Cup that Nepal could spring an upset against England.

“England lose to a surprise team in almost every World Cup, this time it could be Nepal,” he said. Ranked third in the ICC standings, England will test Nepal, but Nepal will be hunting for that one surprise result.

Playing their third World Cup, Nepal failed to progress beyond the group stage in the previous two editions. This time, the team has entered the tournament with the aim of reaching the Super 8 stage.

To achieve that goal, Nepal need at least two wins from their four group matches. A victory against England would lift team morale for the remaining games.

Nepal and England have never faced each other in a T20 international. This will be their first meeting in international cricket.

England come into the tournament after winning a T20I series against Sri Lanka. Nepal, meanwhile, defeated the MCA President XI in a practice match in Mumbai and also won warm up games against Canada and the UAE.

Nepal will be searching for their first T20 World Cup win in 12 years, while England will look to maintain their dominance.

For Nepal, opening batter Kushal Bhurtel will be the key player. His performance in the powerplay could shape Nepal’s entire innings. At the Wankhede Stadium, where the square boundaries are short, his ability to play shots across the line could bring vital runs.

All-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee is expected to deliver with both bat and ball. Attention will also be on mystery spinner Sher Malla if he features in the match.

For England, top order batters Phil Salt and Jos Buttler will be key. Both are among the most powerful hitters in world cricket. In the middle order, captain Harry Brook will be one to watch, while the bowling attack will rely on pace bowler Jofra Archer and spinner Adil Rashid.

People’s News Monitoring Service