NEP vs SCO: Nepal has ended a 12-year wait for a third T20 World Cup victory against Scotland at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After chasing down 171 in 19.2 overs with the help of an unbelievable unbeaten half-century from Dipendra Singh Airee, the celebrations were electric from Nepal’s passionate supporters.
This victory was a crowning achievement for Nepal’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and will be remembered as an historic moment in their cricket history.
Scotland’s Strong Start in NEP vs SCO
Scotland looked very well set when they started, with their opening partnership of 80 leading the way towards having a good innings, with Michael Jones looking the part and holding everything together with his batting. However, things turned around dramatically during the middle overs.
An experienced fast bowler in the Nepal fixture, and Nepal’s only representative from their 2014 Squad to the World T20, Sompal Kami, was able to cause a collapse in the Scottish camp by taking two wickets off the first four balls of his second over.
Scotland started off very well with a solid opening partnership but struggled towards the end of the innings allowing Nepal to gain control of the match. In the end, Scotland finished with a competitive score of 170.
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Nepal’s Chase: From Control to Crisis
The NEP openers, Kusal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh, made a confident start in the NEP vs SCO match. The chase seemed well in hand as they reached 74/0.
But Scotland staged a comeback in the match with Michael Leask’s brilliant spell. His three-wicket over shattered the Nepal middle order, leaving them at 100/3 in 14 overs. The pressure mounted as they needed 71 runs in 36 balls at the Wankhede. The match was in Scotland’s favor, but only for a short while. Dipendra Singh Airee’s Match-Winning Masterclass
In one of the best innings in Nepal’s T20 history, Airee struck an unbeaten 50 off only 23 balls. His knock consisted of four boundaries and three massive sixes, besides some smart strike selection with only two dot balls in his entire innings.
Alongside Gulsan Jha (24* off 17), Airee added an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership that turned the entire match around. When Nepal required 70 off 35 balls, Airee triggered a masterful counterattack that left Scotland stunned. Jha hit the winning boundary to clinch Nepal’s historic win at 171/3 in 19.2 overs.
A Redemption Story for Nepal Cricket
This NEP vs SCO victory was more than just a win for the team. Nepal had come close to winning matches against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England in the previous World Cups. This win in the 2026 World Cup was a form of redemption for the team since they had not won a single match in the last World Cup.
Airee’s Reaction After Winning Player of the Match
After his match-winning performance, Dipendra Singh Airee gave credit to the fans of Nepal for motivating them to win the match. He also mentioned that learning from their previous close losses, including England, has helped him prepare for this match.
Airee commented on rotating the strike and limiting the number of dot balls as being reasons for his success, and his innings will go down in history as one of the greatest innings played by a Nepali player in T20s.
Reasons to Remember NEP vs SCO 2026
Nepal’s first T20 World Cup win in over 12 years
An awesome 50 runs off 23 balls when it counted the most
Partnership between Airee and Gulsan Jha to win the game for Nepal
Almost like redemption for the entire team after so many near-misses
Incredible energy inside Wankhede Stadium during this game
NEP vs SCO game was an important match for Nepalese cricket to mark the new beginning in Nepalese cricket history. In front of thousands of fans cheering for them, players made history by running around the field celebrating their first ever victory at a World Cup and claimed their belief in themselves and the bright future that awaits them.
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