No major surprises in this Nepal squad heading to the 2024 T20 World Cup! Nepal take a young squad to the World Cup but a squad... that despite their status on the World Cricket stage, boasts a tonne of talent that could take the world by surprise! Get the inside scoop on Nepal's Cricket Squad for the upcoming GameDay Squad competition with an in-depth analysis and preview. Find out who to watch out for!
Squad
Average is based on all T20 Internationals in the last 12 months.
Rohit Paudel - Batsman - 44.3 GDS fantasy average
Aasif Sheikh - Wicket-Keeper - 36.9 GDS fantasy average
Anil Sah - Wicket-Keeper - 37.0 GDS fantasy average
Kushal Bhurtel - Batsman - 38.6 GDS fantasy average
Kushal Malla - All-Rounder - 46.8 GDS fantasy average
Dipendra Singh Airee - All-Rounder - 60.0 GDS fantasy average
Lalit Rajbanshi - Bowler - 26.8 GDS fantasy average
Karan KC - Bowler - 37.0 GDS fantasy average
Gulsan Jha - All-Rounder - 34.4 GDS fantasy average
Sompal Kami - All-Rounder - 28.3 GDS fantasy average
Pratis GC - Bowler - 21.6 GDS fantasy average
Sundeep Jora - Batsman - 18.8 GDS fantasy average
Abinash Bohara - Bowler - 36.6 GDS fantasy average
Sagar Dhakal - Bowler - -2.0 GDS fantasy average
Kamal Singh Airee - Bowler - 0.0 GDS fantasy average
Batters
Three players with exceptional T20I averages including their young captain Rohit Paudel who will hold the keys to Nepal's success!
Rohit Paudel
Kushal Bhurtel Sundeep Jora
Nepal will be captained by 21-year-old Rohit Paudel who only just recently went ballistic for a 47 ball century against a West Indies A bowling attack featuring the likes of Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie. Paudel’s healthy T20I average of 29.96 indicates that Nepal will lean on their leader both in tactics and for runs which leads me to believe that he could be a sneaky boom or bust selection for your GameDay Squad!
Bowlers
The bowling attack is where Nepal have added their experience! If Nepal are to shock the world, they'll need to keep run chases at arms length, this bowling attack gives them the best chance to do just that!
Lalit Rajbanshi - Bowler
Karan KC - Bowler
Pratis GC - Bowler
Abinash Bohara - Bowler
Sagar Dhakal - Bowler
Kamal Singh Airee - Bowler
Karan KC retains his position in the Nepal squad, this time playing the role of one of the very few older statesman in the side. Karan KC has been around the block for some time, notching up 97 T20I wickets through 43 matches. Expect Karan KC to play a big role in this World Cup as Nepal continue to establish themselves on the world stage.
All-rounders
Four players come into the tournament that have the all-rounder position designation in GDS. This is where I think GDS coaches will be able to find their best value!
Kushal Malla - All-Rounder
Dipendra Singh Airee - All-Rounder
Gulsan Jha - All-Rounder
Sompal Kami - All-Rounder
A player I’m super high on is 24-year-old all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee who will float up and down the Nepalese batting order and is almost a lock for 4 overs every innings. Ranking 10th overall on the ICC T20I All-Rounder rankings, owning a batting average of 38.71 and claiming 37 wickets in the process so far in his T20I career, DSA should be viewed as Nepal’s greatest threat in all three facets of the game! He’s worth consideration every time Nepal play. Blistering and battering 20-year-old Kushal Malla is set to prove himself on the world stage for Nepal in the upcoming World Cup. Malla is one of Nepal’s many younger prodigies coming through their ranks. Malla especially has solidified himself as he has nailed down a ranking of 32 overall in the ICC’s latest T20I All-Rounder rankings. Malla has the ability to win a game off his own bat, as shown by his 137* against Mongolia only a year ago, if he can bring that form into the World Cup he might just be a dynasty pick to keep an eye on!
Wicket Keeper
Two Wicket-Keepers with WK designation going into the World Cup. Senior Wicket-Keeper Aasif Sheikh will retain the gloves over fellow gloveman, Anil Sah, at least for the earlier stages of the tournament and the bigger games.
Aasif Sheikh - Wicket-Keeper
Anil Sah - Wicket-Keeper
Sheikh ranks as the third highest Nepalese Batsman in the ICC T20I rankings behind teammates Dipendra Singh Airee and Rohit Paudel. His T20I average of 25.41 while recording 26 total dismissals through 33 matches means it’s worth keeping a sneaky eye on him! He could be a bit of a Smokey!
Predicted Starting XI
Aasif Sheikh
Kushal Bhurtel
Rohit Paudel
Kushal Malla
Dipendra Singh Airee
Sandeep Jora
Gulshan Jha
Sompal Kami
Karan KC
Lalit Rajbanshi
Abinash Bohara
