20 Nepali cricketers to train in India for T20 World Cup Qualifiers

KATHMANDU: A 20-member Nepali cricket team is set to travel to India for high-performance training at the prestigious National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

The training camp, scheduled from July 21 to August 3, is a collaborative effort between the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The selected players are part of Nepal’s 32-member preliminary squad announced for the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers.

While 20 cricketers will train in India, the remaining 12 players will continue preparations in Nepal.

Following the India camp, the national team will head to Australia for a preparatory tour, which will also include a T20I series against the West Indies.

These tours form part of Nepal’s preparation for the all-important World Cup regional qualifiers scheduled to be held in Oman this October.

Nine teams will compete in the qualifiers, divided into three groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.

The top three teams from the Super Six will secure spots in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Nepal, placed in a group alongside Kuwait and Japan, is aiming to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time and third overall.

Squad for India Training Camp:

Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Rohit Paudel, Anil Sah, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Rupesh Singh, Vivek Yadav, Rijhan Dhakal, Pratish GC, Nandan Yadav, Yuvraj Khatri, Sahab Alam, Sundeep Jora, Sagar Dhakal, Aakash Chand, Subash Khakurel.