KATHMANDU, Feb 12: Nepal endured a crushing defeat against Italy in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as the European side powered to a historic 10-wicket victory at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
In the Group ‘C’ encounter, Nepal were completely outplayed, with Italy chasing down a modest target of 124 in just 12.4 overs without losing a wicket — a result that stunned supporters and dented Nepal’s campaign.
Openers Anthony Mosca and Justin Mosca tore into the Nepali bowling attack from the outset, dominating the chase with fearless and calculated stroke play. Anthony Mosca smashed an unbeaten 62 off just 32 balls, peppering the boundary with three fours and six towering sixes. At the other end, Justin Mosca anchored the innings with an unbeaten 60 off 44 deliveries, striking five fours and three sixes.
Hemsworth will do Bollywood film with great script
Nepal’s bowlers struggled to find rhythm or resistance, failing to apply any meaningful pressure as the Italian openers cruised to victory.
Earlier, Nepal’s innings had promised more than it ultimately delivered. After being put in to bat first, Nepal were bowled out for 123 in 19.3 overs. At 93/3 in 13.4 overs, they appeared well placed to post a competitive total. However, a dramatic collapse followed, with the remaining seven wickets falling for just 30 runs.
Aarif Sheikh top-scored with 27 runs, while captain Rohit Paudel contributed 23 and Aasif Sheikh added 20. Dipedra Singh Airee (17) and Karan KC (18) chipped in, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to step up when it mattered.
Kushal Bhurtel (5), Lokesh Bam (3), Gulshan Jha (3), Nandan Yadav (0) and Lalit Rajbanshi (0) endured disappointing outings with the bat.
Nepal’s frontline bowlers fared no better on a batting-friendly Wankhede surface. Sandeep Lamichhane conceded 31 runs in three overs, while Lalit Rajbanshi leaked 19 runs in a single over. Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC and Nandan Yadav were also unable to stem Italy’s rapid scoring rate.
For Italy, Crishan Kalugamage claimed three wickets and Ben Manenti picked up two to restrict Nepal to a below-par total.
The defeat marks Nepal’s second straight loss in the tournament, following their narrow four-run defeat to England. The heavy setback against a comparatively lower-ranked Italy now leaves Nepal’s hopes of reaching the Super 8 stage hanging by a mathematical thread.
Across batting, bowling and fielding, Nepal’s performance fell short — a night to forget for the Rhinos on the world stage.
