Key Points
- Dipendra Singh Airee slammed 50 from 23 balls to guide Nepal to their first victory in T20 World Cup after 12 years.
- Sompal Kami took 3/25 and Nandan Yadav took 2/34 as Scotland suffered a late collapse -- losing six wickets in 26 balls.
- Both Scotland and Nepal are already out of contention for the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup.
Dipendra Singh Airee's quickfire fifty and Sompal Kami's three-wicket haul helped Nepal overpower Scotland to end their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a high, in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Nepal registered a superb seven-wicket victory to end their 12-year-long winless run in T20 World Cup in the Group C match. Nepal's 4352-day gap following their last victory in the 2014 T20 World Cup match is the biggest ever gap by a team between two wins in the tournament.
Nepal had gone winless since 2014 when they beat Afghanistan and the Netherlands on T20 World Cup debut, but the Rhinos signed off from this edition with a memorable victory in front of more than 19,000 fans at the Wankhede Stadium.
Chasing 171, Nepal responded with 171/3 in 19.2 overs with Airee's quickfire 50 not out off 23 balls, with three sixes and four fours, being the highlight of their spirited chase along with Bhurtel's (43) inspired start.
Gulsan Jha (24 not out) also chipped in with two towering sixes at a crucial juncture, putting on an unbeaten 73-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Opener Kushal Bhurtel had a narrow escape when Brad Currie dropped a return catch and the Nepal opener rubbed salt on the wound with a huge six over long-on in the second over.
With their batters being under pressure, Nepal made a rather cautious start but took charge once their eye was in.
Nepal End Long Wait For T20 World Cup Win
Aasif Sheikh (33) opened up with a six over fine leg in the fourth over, and in the next, Bhurtel clattered two sixes and a four off Mark Watt. As many as 23 runs came off Watt as Aasif finished with another powerful hit over square leg.
However, Nepal couldn't sustain the momentum of raking in big runs as following overs from Scottish spinners saw the pressure building on the batters, resulting in a few wickets.
Bhurtel mishit a sweep off Michael Leask (3/30) and was caught at midwicket for a sparkling 43 off 35 balls with four sixes and a four. Soon after, Aasif went back in the hut when a thick edge off his bat was collected by Brad Wheal at short third off Leask.
Leask appeared to be all over Nepal when he had their skipper Rohit Paudel (16) caught by backward square leg in the 14th over. But in his final over, Airee hammered two on-side sixes and a four to collect 20 runs off the 16th.
Jha completed the formalities with a four off the 20th over, as Nepal won with four balls to spare.
Earlier, Michael Jones stroked a solid half-century before Nepal's bowlers staged a late comeback to limit Scotland to 170 for 7 in their inconsequential T20 World Cup Group C match .
Both the teams are out of reckoning for the Super 8s with the West Indies and England advancing to the next round from the group.
Barring Jones, who struck eight fours and three sixes in his superb knock of 71 from 45 balls, the Scottish batters failed to convert their starts on a flat deck at the Wankhede Stadium.
Jones did the heavy-lifting during the 80-run stand for the opening wicket with George Munsey, who failed to get any momentum despite staying in the middle till the halfway mark of Scotland's innings.
While the right-handed Jones pierced gaps comfortably and hit boundaries at regular intervals, Munsey struggled as he managed a sedate 27 runs off 29 balls with four boundaries.
Munsey's frustration finally ended in the 10th over, when he miscued the full toss from Rohit Paudel as Sundeep Jora completed a fine catch diving forward at long-on.
Brandon McMullen got a lifeline in the 14th over when Jora put down a catch off Nandan Yadav as the ball went through his hands and hit the turf when he fell to the ground while completing the catch.
Jones continued to find the boundaries, as he smashed a monster 94m hit straight into the balcony of the Scotland's dressing room.
Scotland Lose Way After Jones' Dismissal
However, Jones' innings ended soon after when Sompal Kami, coming round the wicket in the 16th over, cleaned up the Scotland opener. He struck again in the same over, taking a brilliant one-handed grab on his follow through to dismiss McMullen for 25.
Scotland lost all momentum in the second half of their innings as Nepal's bowlers chipped away at the wickets.
Scotland, who were well-placed on 131/1 after 15 overs, lost six wickets for 30 runs in the space of 26 balls to slip to 162/7.
Captain Richie Berrington fell to spinner Kushal Bhurtel as Jora took another fine catch, running to his left at long-on, in the 17th over.
Matthew Cross (4) was bowled by Yadav as he missed the scoop and was bowled before Kami struck again in the 19th over with the wicket of Tom Bruce to finish as Nepal's most successful bowler with figures of 3/25, while Yadav took 2/34.
Michael Leask was caught behind off Yadav for four before Mark Watt hit the last ball of the final over for a six over midwicket -- the first boundary after 16 balls.
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