KATHMANDU — Nepal’s men’s cricket team is heading into the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with a familiar ambition but a different opportunity: turn another quarter-final appearance into the country’s first Asian Games cricket medal.

Led by Dipendra Singh Airee, Nepal will begin its campaign in Japan against Afghanistan on September 25 before facing hosts Japan the following day. The cricket competition will be played in the T20 format at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City.

The timing could hardly be more interesting for Nepal. The team arrives in Japan shortly after winning the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026, a triumph that secured qualification for the 2027 Asia Cup. Earlier this year, Nepal also won the Asian Games Men’s T20 Qualifier in Singapore.

Afghanistan first, then hosts Japan

Nepal have been placed in Group A alongside Afghanistan and Japan.

Afghanistan face Japan in the opening Group A fixture on September 24. Nepal then meet Afghanistan on September 25 at 2:00 PM Japan time, followed by their match against Japan on September 26 at 9:00 AM Japan time. That corresponds to approximately 10:45 AM and 5:45 AM Nepal time, respectively.

The top two teams from Group A will advance to the quarter-finals. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been seeded directly into the knockout stage.

The group standings will also determine Nepal’s quarter-final opponent. Under the official draw, the Group A runner-up will face India, while the Group A winner will meet Sri Lanka.

That makes every group-stage result important—not only for qualification, but also for Nepal’s route through the tournament.

Dipendra handed the captaincy

Nepal have selected a 15-member squad with Dipendra taking charge.

Former captain Rohit Paudel remains one of the central figures in the batting unit, while experienced names such as Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Aarif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane give the side a strong core.

The squad also includes attacking options in Kushal Malla, Gulshan Jha, Sandeep Jora and Lokesh Bam, with Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi and Nandan Yadav adding variety to the bowling attack.

Nepal squad: Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Rohit Paudel, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi and Sher Malla.

Stuart Law remains head coach, with former Nepal international Binod Das travelling as team leader.

Qualification campaign showed Nepal’s firepower

Nepal did not receive an automatic place at the Games. They earned it through the Asian Games qualifier in Singapore earlier this year—and did so in emphatic fashion.

Kushal Bhurtel was at the centre of that campaign.

He smashed 129 from 43 balls against China as Nepal piled up 313 for two and won by 221 runs. Just days later, Bhurtel followed it with 126 from 54 balls against Malaysia, becoming one of the small group of players to score hundreds in consecutive men’s T20 internationals.

Nepal then swept aside Oman by eight wickets in the semi-final before beating Hong Kong by 19 runs under the DLS method in a rain-affected final to finish the qualifier as champions.

Those results showed exactly why Nepal can be dangerous in the T20 format: explosive top-order batting, several all-round options and a bowling attack capable of operating effectively through both pace and spin.

Unfinished business at the Asian Games

The Asian Games already holds a special place in Nepal’s cricket story.

At Hangzhou 2023, Nepal produced one of the most extraordinary days in T20I history when they scored 314 for three against Mongolia. Kushal Malla reached his century from 34 balls, while Dipendra smashed his fifty from only nine deliveries.

Nepal progressed to the quarter-finals but were eliminated by India after a competitive 23-run defeat. Chasing 203, Nepal reached 179 for nine.

Reaching the last eight has therefore become familiar territory. The challenge in Japan is to go further.

At the team’s farewell, head coach Law said Nepal would need to play strong cricket once the tournament reaches the quarter-finals and expressed confidence that the players were capable of competing for a medal.

A bigger opportunity than before

Nepal enter these Games with greater international experience than in previous editions.

Players such as Dipendra, Rohit, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel and Karan KC have now played across World Cups, Asia Cups, qualifiers and international franchise competitions. The recent Premier Cup title has also given the squad a major result immediately before the Asian Games.

Afghanistan will provide the first major test. Japan, meanwhile, will have home conditions and the motivation of playing an Asian Games cricket tournament on their own soil.

For Nepal, the first target is straightforward: finish inside the top two in Group A.

After that, the difficulty rises sharply.

But if Nepal can finally move beyond the quarter-final stage, the 2026 Asian Games could become another landmark moment in the country’s rapidly expanding cricket story.

Nepal’s Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule

September 25: Nepal vs Afghanistan — 2:00 PM Japan time / 10:45 AM Nepal time
September 26: Japan vs Nepal — 9:00 AM Japan time / 5:45 AM Nepal time
September 28–29: Men’s quarter-finals
October 1: Semi-finals
October 3: Bronze-medal match and final.