Nepal aim at making a splash in the giant-killers' consortium

Snapshot

Coming into the tournament on a hot streak, with the wind at their backs and the hopes of their legions of fans higher than ever, Nepal carry a real weight of expectation for arguably the first time into this, their third T20 World Cup. It's not just the fact that Rohit Paudel's side have won ten of their last twelve T20Is, all away from home, but more the manner of those victories and calibre of the opposition that has been impressive. The "Cardiac Kids" have discovered a capacity for the clinical win and a confidence against higher-ranked opposition that's previously been conspicuously absent.

Following up a historic series win over the West Indies in Sharjah, Nepal cruised unbeaten through the combined Asia-EAP regional final in Oman before heading home for the Nepal Premier League. They will be short of neither match practice nor ambition as they take to the biggest stage.

The squad, and what it tells us

Nepal Squad: Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam.

Head coach Stuart Law has broadly kept faith with the fairly settled squad that he inherited upon taking over the reins a little under a year ago. The absence of the likes of Kushal Malla and Mohammad Aadil Alam from the final fifteen speaks to a healthy competition for spots in the Nepal set-up. Any fall off in form is more swiftly punished these days, the shelf life of a Nepal player coasting on promise or past performance markedly shorter than it was some years ago.

Off-spinner Sher Malla earns a call-up on weight of wickets in the NPL, reflecting the growing currency of performance in an improving domestic scene. Lokesh Bam is still preferred to the veteran Binod Bhandari as the backup keeper despite the latter's fine domestic form, implying at least half an eye on the future. That said, though young Nandan Yadav is a fine seam prospect, there's still no clear heir apparent to the established pace pairing of Sompal Kami and Karan KC. The batting card looks well set for the future though, opener Kushal Bhurtel the oldest of the top six at just 29, while the middle-order engine of Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh are all in their mid-20s. The spin section remains the side's chief strength, however, with globe-trotting leggie Sandeep Lamichhane the most celebrated of a well balanced slow-bowling section.

The road to the World Cup

In contrast to their spotty one-day form, Nepal have looked a rising force in the shortest format since the last World Cup. In the run-up to this edition they've picked up wins over Netherlands and hosts Scotland in traditionally trying Scottish conditions, before sealing a storied series win over West Indies with a game to spare in Sharjah. West Indies' consolation victory in the final game of that series is the only match Nepal have lost in the past six months, while only Qatar and regular rivals UAE ran them close at the Asia-EAP regional qualifier. The team has looked in fine fettle since arriving in India too, with back-to-back warm-up match wins over a Mumbai XI before besting the Emiratis comfortably in their first official warm-up.

Last five T20Is:W-W-W-W-W (latest)

The way they play

Above all, Nepal's way of winning is about finding ways to keep the pressure on the opposition, be it through aggressive running between the wickets when batting, or their own electric efforts in the field, attacking the ball and keeping opposing batters in doubt. While Nepal are not above mistakes in the field, their consistently aggressive ground fielding can be game-changing. A habit of holding Lamichhane's overs back adds to early pressure, with Bhurtel an increasingly impressive wrist-spin understudy offering that flexibility. In the absence of Abinash Bohara, however, they lack a specialist death bowler, with Yadav and Karan KC usually sharing that responsibility.

It's notable that Nepal never gave up a 150+ score in the Qualifiers, but should the opposition manage to build batting momentum, Lamichhane remains their only reliable partnership-breaker. On the batting side Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh are a settled opening pair, while the middle-order - Aarif Sheikh in particular - looks in decent form. They're somewhat reliant on young Gulshan Jha for regular late acceleration though, and should the asking rate climb in a chase, they may find themselves looking to Karan KC and the tail for the improbable, last-gasp heroics that he's famous for.

Who can bend a match in 10 balls

Sandeep Lamichanne may be back at his best, and Karan KC's above-mentioned exploits have secured some extraordinary reversals. But the lingering threat most likely to catch Nepal's opponents unaware is Dipendra Singh Airee hovering quietly at backward point. Inside the circle, Airee is undoubtedly the best ground fielder in the game at the minute. An almost supernatural ability to turn certain singles into direct hit run-outs seems to send at least a batter a game back to the pavilion, usually shaking his head in disbelief.

Scheduling

While Mumbai may not play to their spinning strengths as Chennai or even Delhi might have done, having all four matches at the same venue means Nepal will have a unique chance to acclimatise. This in addition to making things easier for their travelling supporters - indeed, Wankhede may feel almost like a home ground for Nepal given expected turnout. A first-ever encounter with group favourites England may look like a free hit first up, but even if they can't stage an upset, Nepal will want to take the game deep given potential net run rate implications. Their next three encounters all look winnable. Though Italy will be an unfamiliar opponent capable of effectively ending Nepal's tournament two games in, West Indies look no less vulnerable than they did in Sharjah. Scotland come into the tournament cold but will have had three games to warm up by the time they face Nepal in the final group match, though both teams will be happy if they're still alive in the tournament by then.

Banana peel fixture

Italy are a team on the rise, and this will be the first time Nepal face them in T20s. Nepal generally had the best of it when their paths crossed in the old 50-over World Cricket League, but this is a new-look Italian side bristling with franchise and List A experience - one Nepal would do well to be wary of.

What a good World Cup looks like

It has been over a decade since Nepal last won a World Cup match, with their win over Afghanistan back in 2014 taking them to the cusp of progression, but their record since has been disappointing. At the very least, they will be looking to put points on the board this time, and in an unpredictable group, may just be eyeing a run to the Super 8s. While England look a safe bet for one spot, West Indies face three potential giant-killers in the group and there's a sense that second spot could be anyone's. Three wins might be a big ask, but two and through on net run rate has a ring of the plausible.