Nepal’s Sompal Kami celebrates the wicket of Scotland’s Tom Bruce during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and Scotland in Mumbai. NEW DELHI: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s a saying so time-worn that it often comes across as a cliché, but it remains a polarizing figure for the burgeoning cricketing nation of Nepal. American author James Clear, known for his work “Atomic Habits”, takes this adage further on his blog: “I think it is better to remember the other side of this story: Rome was not built in a day, but bricks were laid every hour.”For Nepal, the latest brick arrived in the form of a bank transfer. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday that $256,154 will be transferred to the accounts of the Nepal Cricket Association from the T20 World Cup 2026 prize fund. While the sum may seem modest to the sport’s giants, it exceeded the earnings of established partners such as Namibia, Canada and Oman.
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“Really, Rome is just the result; the bricks are the system,” Clear further notes. “The system is bigger than the goal.”The Nepal campaign was a study in the “Jekyll and Hyde” nature of rising power. They were hurt by opening-day defeats to England four times, two humblings against Italy and the West Indies and an eye-catching seven-wicket win over Scotland.
Nepal players greet supporters after winning the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match against Scotland at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17, 2026. (Photo: Punit PARANJPE/AFP)
But as the dust settles on their third World Cup appearance, a question still hangs in the air. How does a nation fueled by the world’s most passionate fans turn “almost” into “always”?
Jekyll and Hyde on the global stage
To understand Nepal’s performance, we need to look beyond the scorecard. For Umesh Patwal, the former head coach of Nepal, the tournament was about a statement that went beyond participation.
If we can get the likes of Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Airee or Rohit Paudel to start finishing games, that gap will be filled. They don’t have enough match winners at the senior level yet.
Umesh Patwal | Former coach of Nepal
“I always feel you have to win a match to make a statement,” Patwal told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interview. “People only watch the champions. They finished very well in the last game at a very high level, which is a great thing.However, the “obstacle” remains the last centimeter. Nepal came on the verge of upsetting South Africa in their 2024 campaign and pushed England to the brink this time.The missing ingredient, according to Patwala, is not talent, but role clarity in high-pressure moments.“Sometimes it’s just about knowing who needs to put in the extra effort to finish the game,” explains Patwal. “They are not sure who should be the match winner. Once they start believing like Sandeep (Lamichhane) is supposed to be the main bowler, then the batting has to follow. If we can get guys like Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Airee or Rohit Paudel to start finishing games, that gap will close. They don’t have enough top-order winners.
Nepalese cricket fans cheer after their team’s win against Scotland during a T20 World Cup cricket match in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Gyanendra Malla, former captain and titan of Nepali cricket, shares this bittersweet sentiment.“Actually, I was expecting a little more,” admits Malla. “Expectations were very high after the first match. We couldn’t perform to our 100 per cent potential in the middle games, but the way we played the first and last matches, that’s the brand of cricket we want to show the world.”Nepal captain Rohit Paudel was disappointed on one hand but called it a good exposure for his team. “I think good exposure, good experience of playing in this World Cup. We wanted to qualify for the second half but unfortunately we didn’t make it. Maybe next time,” he told reporters after Nepal’s historic win against Scotland. He added: “It took us 12 years to win a World Cup match. I’ll put it higher.”
We need a longer season. School cricket and home base should be a seasoned culture, not just a 15-day tournament. We have to work on multi-day formats. This way you build awareness of the game.
Gyanendra Malla Former captain of Nepal
Structure of Nepal: From Districts to Departments
If “the system is bigger than the goal”, Nepal’s system is a unique, tiered architecture that relies heavily on institutional support. Nepal’s talent is filtered through provinces and government “departments”.The journey begins at the district level, where local teams compete in regional tournaments. From this base pool, promising talents are selected for their district teams. These district teams will then compete within their respective provinces. The standout performers from these intra-provincial clashes are ultimately channeled into a selection pool that forms the final provincial teams to compete in the Premier’s (PM) Cup.The PM Cup is the undisputed crucible of Nepalese cricket. It is a ten-team national league with seven provincial sides and three “section” giants: the Army, the Police and the Armed Police Force (APF).
Nepal players stand for the national anthem before the start of the match during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
These departments act as unofficial watchdogs of the sport, providing salaries and stability to players who might otherwise be forced to seek work abroad.Those who emerge from the PM Cup are called to national training camps where raw talent is honed and the final national team squad is distilled.However, the current structure is too short. “We need a longer season,” insists Malla. “School cricket and home base should be a seasoned culture, not just a 15-day tournament. We need to work on multi-day formats. That’s how you build awareness of the game.”
Most players actually work as police or military, but not full-time. For the highest level, they earn enough to take care of their families. But for county players, they are actually putting their own money into it. They invest in themselves.
Gyanendra Malla Former captain of Nepal
The money gap: passion vs profession
In Nepal, cricket is a religion and its priests are often underpaid. While the top 15 to 20 centrally contracted players earn a “good enough” living by local standards, the story of the rest of the pyramid is one of sacrifice.“Most players actually work as police or military, but not full-time,” says Malla. “At the top level, they make enough to take care of their families. But for the county players, they’re actually putting in their own money. They’re investing in themselves.”
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 group stage match between Nepal and Italy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 12, 2026. (Photo: Punit PARANJPE/AFP)
This financial uncertainty often forces players to look elsewhere for income, leading to friction with management over “distractions” such as social media.During the World Cup, head coach Stuart Law instructed the players to focus on social media. However, Patwal sees it as a survival mechanism.“Social media is part of these guys because they don’t make any money,” Patwal says bluntly. “When I was there for two years, we didn’t get a cent paid as a salary. In a country like Nepal, the only way these guys can be seen as heroes and get promoted is through the media. I’m happy for them if they make some money out of it.”
Nepal’s “mastermind” is missing
What is the next brick? For Patwal, it’s not just about playing more matches; it is a change of “environment”. They argue that playing against big teams is pointless if you don’t understand how they think.“I don’t think just playing international matches helps. How long have New Zealand or South Africa been playing? Have they won the World Cup?” Patwal asks. “We have this bad mentality where we think that playing makes you a cricketer. You have to be in the culture. My advice is that at least six of these players should be exposed to the IPL or the Big Bash.”
If someone like Sanju Samson needs that help, you can understand the struggle for these Nepalese players. They don’t have local heroes to model themselves on, match winners who have actually been there and done that.
Umesh Patwal | Former coach of Nepal
Patwal believes that even if players like Rohit Paudel or Dipendra Airee don’t make the starting XI in the IPL, “just being with the team, seeing the training part, eating habits, sleeping habits, that’s a big dose.”“Even Sanju Samson (player of the tournament in T20 World Cup 2026) credited Sachin Tendulkar for his performances,” adds Patwal.“If someone like Samson needs that help, you can understand the struggle of these Nepalese players. They don’t have local heroes to model themselves on, match-winners who have actually been there and done it.”Echoing Patwal’s sentiments, Malla believes Nepal’s geography is its greatest untapped resource.
Nepal’s Kushal Bhurtel plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and Scotland in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
“We are blessed to have four Test nation neighbors but we don’t use that as a strength,” says Malla. “Playing regularly against Indian ‘A’ or ‘B’ teams, or even Ranji Trophy teams, would help our boys learn the mindset of the big guys. We need BCCI’s help to grow as a nation and eventually become a Test nation ourselves.”
Developing a new identity
For decades, Nepal’s global identity has been tightly tied to its geography, the towering peaks of the Himalayas and the bravery of the Gurkhas. Today, that identity is shifting.
They have the skill. They were the best runners between the goals, the best side in the field. They just need to sit among the champions. Once they do that, the completion will come.
Umesh Patwal | Former coach of Nepal
“Before, Nepal was only known for its mountains,” Malla says with a smile. “The new identity is cricket. It unites all people, despite our sorrows. It’s the next big thing for our country.”
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Bricks are laid hour by hour.The money from the ICC will likely go towards the ‘bricks’ of better networks and local travel, but the ‘Rome’ of Nepali cricket, a world-class Test playing nation, demands something more.“They have the ability,” concludes Patwal. “They were the best runners between the goals, the best fielders. They just need to sit among the champions. Once they do that, the finish will come.”
