Nepal put forward strong squad on T20 World Cup return

May 1 (ICC) - The Cricket Association of Nepal have named their 15-player group for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.

Rohit Paudel leads a young Nepal group at the T20 World Cup, with their first match on June 4 against The Netherlands in Texas.

There were no massive surprises in the selection, with players rewarded for their form across matches at the ACC Premier Cup in Oman, and outings against a West Indies A side currently on tour in Kirtipur.

Paudel himself has led the charge with bat in hand, hitting a century against the tourists in the first of the five-game series. Fresh off his world record-equalling exploits of hitting six sixes in an over against Qatar in April, all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee will float in the side’s batting order, with the likes of Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh also in the mix.

Having also appeared at the U19 World Cup earlier in the year, Gulshan Jha joins a number of young players in the squad, with 19-year-old Pratis GC also keeping his spot in the senior team.

Sompal Kami is the only player from Nepal’s debut 2014 campaign in the squad for the 2024 edition, with the fast bowling all-rounder joined by cult hero Karan KC as the elder statement of the group.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Lalit Rajbanshi will lead Nepal’s spin threat.

All teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until 25 May, after which any alteration will require approval from ICC’s Event Technical Committee.

• Nepal squad: Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee