Nepal vs Italy T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights: Italy upset Nepali hearts, record maiden World Cup win

GAME OVER! Italy have completed a historic win over Nepal by 10 wickets in Mumbai. This is the Azzurri's maiden victory in a T20 World Cup. Anthony Mosca (62*) and Justin Mosca (60*) remained unbeaten, as Nepal were mercilessly punished by the Italians. Italy chase down the target in just 12.4 overs.

Sandeep Lamichhane bowls the 11th over of the run chase. Both Anthony and Justin Mosca register their respective half-centuries, and this is on the way to becoming a memorable evening for Italy.

ITA 111/0 (11 overs; Target 124)

Seven runs come off Sandeep Lamichhane's second over. Nandan Yadav, right-arm medium pacer, is introduced into the attack in the next over. A dozen runs come from Nandan's over, with a six from Anthony and a four from Justin Mosca.

ITA 92/0 (9 overs; Target 124)

Dipendra Singh Airee continues from the other end. Just five runs from the first over after the end of powerplay, but Nepal need quick wickets at the moment.

ITA 73/0 (7 overs; Target 124)

Sandeep Lamichhane comes into the attack. He bowls the final over of the powerplay, and gets punished by Anthony Mosca for a four and a six. Ten runs come off the over as the match gradually slips away from Nepal.

ITA 68/0 (6 overs; Target 124)

The Mosca brothers are causing damage against Nepal, as Italy race to 50 in just four overs. The Italians are showing no signs of giving up, and seemingly want to finish the game in a hurry.

ITA 50/0 (4 overs; Target 124)

Karan KC bowls the third over of the chase. The chase is slowly becoming a nightmare of sorts for Nepal already, as 14 runs come off Karan's over. Justin Mosca with a couple of fours and a six in the over.

ITA 30/0 (3 overs; Target 124)

Anthony Mosca slams the first maximum of Italy's run chase. He punishes Karan KC by clearing the front leg and slamming it over wide mid-on.

ITA 7/0 (1 over; Target 124)

Right. Time for Italy's run chase. The T20 World Cup debutants need 124 runs to win this match. The Mosca brothers, Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca, open their batting. Karan KC begins Nepal's bowling.

INNINGS BREAK! Italy have dismissed Nepal for 123 runs in 19.3 overs. Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti shared five wickets between them as a dominant Italian team saw off Nepal for a paltry total. Aarif Sheikh was Nepal's top-scorer with 27 runs. Italy need 124 runs to win. Stay tuned for the chase.

Nepal have lost their ninth wicket as Sandeep Lamichhane departs. He goes for a big shot but ends up holing out to Henry Manenti at midwicket.

Fourteen runs come off Ali Hasan's third over. Karan KC looks in good touch, having slammed a four and a six in the over. Nepal will be looking to finish their innings on a high. Grant Stewart bowls the 19th over from the other end .

NEP 123/8 (19)

Nepal are currently losing wickets in quick succession. Crishan Kalugamage had dismissed Gulsan Jha in the 17th over, and now Nandan Yadav has been running out.

NEP 102/8 (16.5)

Things are not going right for Nepal, who have lost half their side now. Ben Manenti removes Lokesh Bam, who is caught by Anthony Mosca at deep midwicket.

NEP 97/5 (15)

Nepal lose yet another wicket as Dipendra Singh Airee is dismissed. Dipendra looked to go for a cover drive, but missed it completely as the ball crashed onto the stumps. Crishan Kalugamage with the wicket.

NEP 94/4 (14)

Grant Stewart bowls the 11th over of the match. It's an excellent over for Nepal as Aarif Sheikh collects two consecutive boundaries. He is now unbeaten on 23 runs from 14 balls. A dozen runs come from the over.

NEP 79/3 (11)

Just six runs come from JJ Smuts' third over as the innings reaches the midway mark. Rohit Paudel's dismissal is definitely a blow for Nepal, but the task has been cut out for Dipendra Singh Airee (4*) and Aarif Sheikh (14*).

NEP 67/3 (10)

Nepal have lost skipper Rohit Paudel and Aasif Sheikh in quick succession. Crishan Kalugamage got rid of Rohit in the seventh over, whereas Ben Manenti saw off Aasif in the eighth over.

NEP 61/3 (9)

Grant Stewart, right-arm medium pacer into the attack. Rohit continues to punish the opposition bowlers as he smacks a six, flicking over deep square-leg. Thirteen runs from the over.

NEP 46/1 (6)

JJ Smuts continues. He concedes 10 runs in his second over, courtesy a six from Rohit Paudel. Rohit had smashed it over deep mid-wicket after going down on his knee. Rohit is now not out on 11 runs from six balls.

NEP 33/1 (5)

Wayne Madsen, who is not playing today, is seen without a sling and looks completely fine. Maybe we can see Madsen in the playing XI against England in Kolkata on February 16. He is keeping his player charged from the sidelines. Two boundaries by Aasif Sheikh off Hasan Ali to ease the pressure for Nepal.

NEP 23/1 (4)

Another excellent over for Italy. JJ Smuts bowls tight, and concedes just two runs from the over. Notably, the Nepalese batters have been struggling the Italian spinners and are taking on their very cautiously.

NEP 10/1 (3)

First boundary for Nepal. After a quite first few balls, Hasan Ali bangs wide of the length and Kushal Bhurtel makes no mistake in dispatching it towards the boundary. OUTTT!!!! Ali bangs short once again and Bhultel once again tries to make some room and on the off side. But the ball goes at the hands of Justin Mosca, who makes no mistake.

NEP 8/1 (2)

Italy are starting with spin today. Benjamin Manenti with the ball for Italy. Kushal Bhurtel amd Aasif Shiekh open the batting for Nepal. Just a single to start with from Ben.

NEP 1/0 (1)

It's Nepal all the way in the whole stadium. The Nepal fans had gathered against England and they continue to do so once again today. In comparison, there are a handful of Italian fans in the stand. Players of both teams and the match officials walk out for the National Anthems. Italy go first, followed by Nepal.

Rohit Paudel: We would have bowled, to be honest. The toss is something that’s not in our control. We’ll make the most of batting first. It’s the same wicket where the last game was played, and it should spin in the second innings, so we’ll try to use that. I think it’s a great advantage, especially playing in Asian conditions. Playing all our games here at the Wankhede helps, and we’ll try to make the most of it. We felt that’s the area we can improve from the last game, in both departments - batting and bowling. The last three to four overs have been very crucial for us. That’s where we need to hold our nerves, absorb the pressure, and be present in that moment. It’s great to have fans like them; they motivate us a lot. After the England game, we saw many social media posts showing people watching us live back in Nepal. That gives a lot of motivation to all the boys.

Harry Manenti: We’ll bowl today. There were some nerves there, of course, like any game of international cricket. I think it just didn’t work out for us on the day. A few things clearly went the wrong way for us. Losing our skipper, Wayne Madsen, was probably a turning point, and then we didn’t manage to get back that momentum in a crucial period of the game. Scotland are a good side, and today we take on another good side in Nepal, so we’re really looking forward to it. He’s played a lot of cricket for Italy, and I’m really looking forward to watching him. We’ll also make another change. Our focus point has been bravery the whole time. We’re playing against teams who are well above us in the world rankings, and from the outside looking in, we’re the outsiders. But within our squad, we believe strongly in our abilities. We’re trying to be brave, take the game on, and hopefully we’ll see that today. We’ve moved on slightly from then, and Italy cricket has moved on a long way since that stage. It’s pretty exciting to be here in Mumbai, playing some really impressive sides - Nepal obviously being one of them. To lead this squad of really good men is a privilege for me.

Star Sports is the official broadcasters of the T20 World Cup 2026. The nepal vs Italy clash will be telecast live on Star Sports channels. Live streaming of Nepal vs Italy will be available on JioStar app.

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Rohit Paudel(c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi

Italy: Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti(c), Ben Manenti, Marcus Campopiano, Grant Stewart, Gian Meade(w), Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan

Rohit Paudel and Harry Manenti are out for the toss. This is the first time Nepal and Italy are meeting in cricket. Italy win the toss and Manenti opt to bowl first. Marcus Campopiano comes in for Madsen while Thomas Draca makes way for Jaspreet Singh.

Captain Wayne Madsen is likely to miss out against Nepal. The 42-year-old, playing his first match in an ICC tournament, had to leave the field after just four overs, wincing in pain. Trying to stop a pull shot off George Munsey, Madsen dived full stretch on his left and landed badly on his shoulder. According to sources, Madsen is doing good but the doctors have sought a couple of days to give a verdict on Madsen.

On the other hand, Italy, who won all their warm-up games against UAE and Canada, came with a lot of confidence. However, a shoulder dislocation of Wayne Madsen jeopardised all their plans against Scotland. Although they got starts, but the lack of experience of playing ICC tournaments, cost them the match. In fact, in an interview with Livemint, Madsen spoke about targeting the Nepal game.

Over the years, Nepal have improved a lot. The results were there for everyone to see when the Rohit Paudel-led side almost pulled off an upset against England in their first game. Dipendra Singh Airee showcased his role as a finisher while Lokesh Bam's ability to bat lower the order almost won Nepal the game. They eventually lost by 4 runs.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Nepal vs Italy clash from the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.