The nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard from the UAE Tour of Nepal 2026 tells two very different stories across two back-to-back days. Match 1 belonged to the weather and Muhammad Waseem’s 33 off 15 balls. Match 2 belonged entirely to Kushal Bhurtel. If you want the raw numbers, you will find them here. If you want to understand what actually happened every tactical decision, every momentum shift, every stat in context read every word.
Quick Match Summary
| Detail | Match 1 | Match 2 |
| Date | April 20, 2026 | April 21, 2026 |
| Venue | Kirtipur, Nepal | Kirtipur, Nepal |
| Winner | UAE (by 6 wkts, DLS) | Nepal (by 8 wkts) |
| Top Scorer | Dipendra Airee 32* | Kushal Bhurtel 84* |
| Best Bowler | Muhammad Zuhaib 3/29 | Sandeep Lamichhane 3/6 |
| Turning Point | NEP 40/3 in 5.2 overs | UAE 48/5 in 7.3 overs |
| Series Result | — | Drawn 1-1 |
Rain came. Targets changed. And Nepal, on their home turf in Kirtipur, found out that momentum in T20 cricket can vanish as fast as it appears only to return with a vengeance the very next day.
Series Overview: UAE Tour of Nepal 2026
The UAE tour of Nepal 2026 was a 2-match T20I series played entirely at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on April 20–21, 2026. The series ended in a 1-1 draw.
- Series: United Arab Emirates Tour of Nepal 2026
- Format: 2-match T20I series
- Venue: Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
- Altitude: Approximately 1,400 metres above sea level
- Series Result: Drawn 1-1
The Kirtipur ground is one of the most distinctive Associate cricket venues in the world. The altitude makes the ball travel further, the short square boundaries reward aggressive batting, and the pitch offers genuine seam movement early making the toss and first-session bowling performance disproportionately important. Both results from this series reflect exactly that dynamic.
Match 1 Full Scorecard Nepal vs UAE, 1st T20I (April 20, 2026)
UAE won by 6 wickets via DLS method. Nepal scored 122/8 in 18.5 overs. UAE chased a revised DLS target of 78 in 10 overs, reaching it at 78/4 in 8.5 overs.
This is the complete nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard for the 1st T20I.
Nepal Batting 122/8 in 18.5 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Arjun Saud | c sub b Junaid Siddique | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 116.67 |
| Sundeep Jora | b Junaid Siddique | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 62.50 |
| Kushal Bhurtel | b Muhammad Zuhaib | 13 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 81.25 |
| Kushal Malla | c & b Muhammad Zuhaib | 17 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 80.95 |
| Basir Ahamad | b Muhammad Zuhaib | 22 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 122.22 |
| Gulsan Jha | c Alishan Sharafu b Khuzaima Tanveer | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 62.50 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | Not out | 32 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 91.43 |
| Lokesh Bam | c Khuzaima Tanveer b Muhammad Arfan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sher Malla | c Khuzaima Tanveer b Muhammad Arfan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | Not out | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Extras | (lb 6, w 2) | 8 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 122/8 in 18.5 overs | — | — | — | — | RR: 6.47 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-21 (Arjun Saud, 2.3), 2-29 (Sundeep Jora, 3.4), 3-40 (Kushal Bhurtel, 5.2), 4-63 (Kushal Malla, 10.2), 5-91 (Basir Ahamad, 14.1), 6-96 (Gulsan Jha, 15.3), 7-96 (Lokesh Bam, 15.5), 8-99 (Sher Malla, 16.3)
UAE Bowling 1st T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Junaid Siddique | 3 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Muhammad Zuhaib | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 7.25 |
| Khuzaima Tanveer | 3.5 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 7.39 |
| Muhammad Arfan | 3 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 6.33 |
| Ajay Kumar | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5.33 |
| Nilansh Keswani | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.00 |
UAE Batting (DLS Chase) 78/4 in 8.5 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Muhammad Waseem | c Sher Malla b Sandeep Lamichhane | 33 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 220.00 |
| Alishan Sharafu | c Gulshan Jha b Airee | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 120.00 |
| Adeeb Usmani | lbw b Sandeep Lamichhane | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Harpreet Singh | Not out | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 107.69 |
| Sohaib Khan | Not out | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 116.67 |
| Extras | (w 4) | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 78/4 in 8.5 overs | — | — | — | — | RR: 8.87 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-40 (Muhammad Waseem, 3.3), 2-48 (Alishan Sharafu, 5.1), 3-57 (Adeeb Usmani, 6.2), 4-78 (run rate achieved)
DLS Target: 78 from 10 overs | UAE reached it in 8.5 overs 7 balls to spare
What Actually Happened in Match 1 The DLS Controversy Explained
The DLS method gave UAE a target of 78 from 10 overs. Most people think Nepal underperformed. The reality is more complicated.
Muhammad Zuhaib’s 3/29 was the bowling spell that truly derailed Nepal. He dismissed Bhurtel, Malla, and Basir three of Nepal’s most dangerous scorers and reduced the hosts to a situation where Airee was batting with tailenders. Nepal’s 122 in 20 overs would have been competitive. In a 10-over DLS sprint, it handed UAE’s power hitters exactly what they wanted: a flat target, aggressive intent, and no margin for error from Nepal’s bowling.
Muhammad Waseem’s 33 off 15 balls was the chase-defining moment. His strike rate of 220 in the opening three overs made the revised target look trivial. He was dismissed by Sandeep Lamichhane at 40/1, but the damage was already done UAE needed just 38 more runs from 6.5 overs with 9 wickets in hand.
Key turning point: Kushal Bhurtel’s dismissal at 40/3 in the 5th over. Had he stayed and targeted 145–155, the DLS math would have been far more demanding for UAE. That single wicket changed the arithmetic of the entire match.
Match 2 Full Scorecard Nepal vs UAE, 2nd T20I (April 21, 2026)
Nepal won by 8 wickets with 25 balls remaining. UAE scored 128/8 in 20 overs. Nepal chased it down in 15.5 overs. This is the complete nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard for the 2nd T20I.
Toss: Nepal won the toss and elected to field | Player of the Match: Kushal Bhurtel (84* off 57 balls)
UAE Batting 128/8 in 20 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Muhammad Waseem | c Sher Malla b Sandeep Lamichhane | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alishan Sharafu | c Gulshan Jha b Hemant Dhami | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Harpreet Singh | c Airee b Hemant Dhami | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Adeeb Usmani | lbw b Sandeep Lamichhane | 30 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 136.36 |
| Sohaib Khan | c Bhurtel b Sandeep Lamichhane | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Akshdeep Nath | c Lokesh Bam b Shahab Alam | 53 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 123.26 |
| CP Rizwan | b Shahab Alam | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muhammad Arfan | Not out | 33 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 94.29 |
| Nilansh Keswani | b Gulsan Jha | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 1) | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 128/8 in 20 overs | — | — | — | — | RR: 6.40 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-0 (Muhammad Waseem, 0.1), 2-15 (Alishan Sharafu, 1.4), 3-20 (Harpreet Singh, 2.2), 4-47 (Adeeb Usmani, 6.3), 5-48 (Sohaib Khan, 7.3), 6-48 (CP Rizwan, 7.4), 7-127 (Akshdeep Nath, 19.1), 8-128 (Nilansh Keswani, 19.4)
Nepal Bowling 2nd T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1.50 |
| Hemant Dhami | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 |
| Shahab Alam | 4 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 8.50 |
| Gulsan Jha | 3 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 9.00 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7.67 |
| Basir Ahamad | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 8.50 |
Sandeep Lamichhane’s 3/6 in 4 overs was one of the most economical T20I spells in Nepal’s recent history. He dismissed Waseem on the very first ball, and his economy rate of 1.50 kept UAE in a permanent stranglehold throughout the powerplay and middle overs.
Nepal Batting (Chase) 129/2 in 15.5 Overs
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Kushal Bhurtel | Not out | 84 | 57 | 12 | 2 | 147.37 |
| Kushal Malla | c Muhammad Waseem b Muhammad Arfan | 19 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 111.76 |
| Santosh Yadav | st Adeeb Usmani b Nilansh Keswani | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | Not out | 23 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 135.29 |
| Extras | (w 2) | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 129/2 in 15.5 overs | — | — | — | — | RR: 8.14 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-67 (Kushal Malla, 7.3), 2-71 (Santosh Yadav, 8.3)
UAE Bowling 2nd T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Ajay Kumar | 4 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 4.00 |
| Muhammad Arfan | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 6.33 |
| Nilansh Keswani | 3.5 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 8.08 |
| Khuzaima Tanveer | 3 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Zuhaib Zubair | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 12.00 |
Partnerships Table Nepal Chase (Match 2)
| Partnership | Wicket | Runs | Balls | Run Rate |
| Bhurtel & Kushal Malla | 1st | 67 | 45 | 8.93 |
| Bhurtel & Santosh Yadav | 2nd | 4 | 6 | 4.00 |
| Bhurtel & Airee (unbroken) | 3rd | 58 | 44 | 7.91 |
Kushal Bhurtel’s 84* The Innings That Levelled the Series
Kushal Bhurtel scored 84* off 57 balls (SR: 147.37, 12 fours, 2 sixes) to power Nepal to an 8-wicket win in the 2nd T20I of the nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard series.
Powerplay Approach (Overs 1–6)
Bhurtel did not attack blindly from ball one. He rotated strike, assessed the surface, and targeted the gaps. By the end of the powerplay, he had 30-odd runs with a strike rate above 130 exactly what the chase required.
Middle-Over Control (Overs 7–12)
This is where Bhurtel separated himself from any ordinary innings. When Kushal Malla fell at 67/1 and Santosh Yadav departed four runs later, most batters would have gone into a shell. Bhurtel accelerated. He identified Khuzaima Tanveer (Econ: 13.00) as the most vulnerable bowler and targeted him relentlessly.
Finishing Phase (Overs 13–15.5)
By the time Airee joined Bhurtel at 71/2, the match was essentially over. Their 58-run unbroken stand off 44 balls at a run rate of 7.91 was not nervous it was clinical. Bhurtel reached his fifty off just 31 balls and kept accelerating when others would have settled.
What the stats do not fully capture: Bhurtel faced several deliveries from Muhammad Arfan in the middle phase and chose to defend or work singles. His shot selection under pressure was the defining quality of this innings he understood the match situation better than the scoreboard suggested.
Sandeep Lamichhane: The Bowler Who Defined Match 2
Sandeep Lamichhane’s figures of 3/6 in 4 overs are among the most miserly T20I bowling performances Nepal has produced in recent years. His economy rate of 1.50 against a UAE lineup that scored 220 in the powerplay of Match 1 tells a complete story about the shift in momentum between the two matches.
He dismissed Muhammad Waseem on the very first ball of the innings a golden duck and snuffed out any hope of UAE replicating their Match 1 bravado. Hemant Dhami’s 2/21 complemented Lamichhane’s masterclass by removing Alishan Sharafu and Harpreet Singh cheaply. UAE were 48 for 5 wickets inside 7.3 overs a complete batting implosion from a team that had looked so fluent 24 hours earlier.
Tactical Analysis: What the Series Truly Revealed
Nepal’s Bowling Looks World Cup-Ready
Nepal’s decision to bowl first in Match 2 was not a default it was an intelligent read of the pitch and the opposition’s batting fragility. UAE’s top three contributed a combined 7 runs across Muhammad Waseem (0), Alishan Sharafu (1), and Harpreet Singh (6). Only Akshdeep Nath’s 53 off 43 and Muhammad Arfan’s 33 off 35 at the death gave UAE a total worth defending. Nepal’s bowling unit, when firing as a collective, is competitive against most Associate and several Full Member lower-order attacks.
UAE’s Middle-Order Fragility Is a Structural Problem
UAE have one of the most explosive T20 powerplay attacks among Associate nations. Muhammad Waseem’s 33 off 15 in Match 1 at a strike rate of 220 is proof of that. But what Match 2 exposed is a batting order that has no depth below the top four. When Waseem, Sharafu, and Harpreet fail, UAE collapse to 48/5 and never fully recover. That is not a coincidence it is a pattern that must concern UAE’s team management heading into ICC qualification cycles.
Nepal’s Batting Fragility Remains the Real Concern
This is the observation most match previews and scorecards completely ignore. Nepal’s batting collapses are structural, not situational. In Match 1, they were 40/3 inside 5.2 overs against decent, not exceptional, UAE bowling. In Match 2, they lost two wickets in four balls at the precise moment the chase needed consolidation. Nepal are dangerously dependent on Bhurtel, Malla, and Airee all contributing in the same game. When even one of that trio fails early, the middle order offers no reliable safety net. For the nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard series, individual brilliance compensated. In a World Cup qualifier, it may not be enough.
What This Series Means Going Forward
Both teams are active participants in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 the primary qualification pathway toward the 2027 ODI World Cup. Form and tactical clarity from bilateral series like this one carry direct psychological value into those high-stakes matches.
- Nepal need to address their powerplay batting vulnerability urgently. Bhurtel is their best batter, but his dismissal in Match 1’s 5th over cost them dearly
- UAE need a reliable No. 5 and No. 6 batter who can bat through 20 overs not just swing aggressively in DLS-shortened chases
- Sandeep Lamichhane’s form is Nepal’s single biggest weapon heading into any ICC event. When he is bowling at his best (as in Match 2), Nepal become a genuinely dangerous team
- The 1-1 series draw is the fairest possible result but Nepal will feel the more complete team after Match 2
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Head-to-Head: Nepal vs UAE Recent Results
| Match | Date | Venue | Format | Result | Key Performer |
| T20 WC Warm-up | Feb 3, 2026 | Chennai | T20I | — | — |
| 1st T20I (UAE Tour of Nepal) | Apr 20, 2026 | Kirtipur | T20I | UAE won by 6 wkts (DLS) | M. Waseem 33 (15) |
| 2nd T20I (UAE Tour of Nepal) | Apr 21, 2026 | Kirtipur | T20I | Nepal won by 8 wkts | K. Bhurtel 84* (57) |
| ICC WC League 2 ODI | Apr 25, 2026 | Kirtipur | ODI | Nepal won (DLS, 9 runs) | — |
The nepal national cricket team vs united arab emirates national cricket team match scorecard battle across all three recent contests at Kirtipur shows a clear pattern: Nepal are a significantly stronger team at home altitude. UAE’s powerplay firepower is dangerous in short-format DLS scenarios but falters in full 20-over contests on Nepal’s home surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who won the Nepal vs UAE 1st T20I on April 20, 2026?
Ans. UAE won by 6 wickets via the DLS method. Nepal scored 122/8 in 18.5 overs before rain stopped play. UAE were set a revised DLS target of 78 in 10 overs and reached 78/4 in 8.5 overs, winning with 7 balls to spare.
Q2. What was the result of the Nepal vs UAE 2nd T20I on April 21, 2026?
Ans. Nepal won by 8 wickets with 25 balls remaining. UAE posted 128/8 in 20 overs, and Nepal chased it down in 15.5 overs, finishing at 129/2. The series ended 1-1.
Q3. Who was the Player of the Match in the 2nd T20I?
Ans. Kushal Bhurtel won the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten innings of 84 off 57 balls (SR: 147.37, 12 fours, 2 sixes), which powered Nepal to a commanding 8-wicket victory.
Q4. What were Sandeep Lamichhane’s bowling figures in Match 2?
Ans. Sandeep Lamichhane bowled 4 overs for just 6 runs and took 3 wickets an economy rate of 1.50. He dismissed Muhammad Waseem on ball one and took key wickets throughout to reduce UAE to 48/5.
Q5. How did the DLS method affect the 1st T20I between Nepal and UAE?
Ans. Rain cut Nepal’s innings short at 18.5 overs. The DLS system set UAE a revised target of 78 runs from 10 overs. With UAE’s explosive top order, that target was comfortable. Muhammad Waseem hit 33 off 15 balls to virtually settle the chase single-handedly.
Q6. What was Muhammad Zuhaib’s bowling performance in Match 1?
Ans. Muhammad Zuhaib took 3/29 in 4 overs and was UAE’s most effective bowler in Match 1, dismissing Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, and Basir Ahamad to dismantle Nepal’s batting core.
Q7. What was the top score for UAE in the 2nd T20I?
Ans. Akshdeep Nath top-scored for UAE with 53 off 43 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. Muhammad Arfan contributed a valuable 33 off 35 balls at the death. The rest of the UAE batting order contributed just 42 combined runs.
Q8. Where was the Nepal vs UAE T20I series 2026 played?
Ans. Both T20I matches were played at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal an altitude venue at approximately 1,400 metres above sea level, which significantly influences ball behaviour and run rates.
Q9. How did Kushal Bhurtel build his innings in the 2nd T20I?
Ans. Bhurtel opened the batting, took time in the powerplay to assess conditions, then accelerated sharply through the middle overs. He reached his fifty in just 31 balls, and his unbroken 58-run partnership with Dipendra Singh Airee (23* off 17 balls) sealed the win with 4.2 overs remaining.
Q10. What is the ICC World Cup qualification relevance of this series?
Ans. Both Nepal and UAE are competing in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, the pathway to the 2027 ODI World Cup. Bilateral series build squad confidence, expose tactical gaps, and establish head-to-head momentum that directly influences team selection and strategy in high-stakes qualifiers.
