Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has thrown his weight behind Nepal’s cricketing rise, urging the ICC to do more than politely applaud each World Cup cycle. After Nepal’s thrilling four-run loss to England in Mumbai, Chopra said it was time the associate side rewarded itself with more bilateral and regular tournaments, not just a moment in the limelight every two years.
Nepal’s intrepid chase boosted by electric fan takeover at the Wankhede, became one of the first stories of the T20 World Cup 2026. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra made it clear that the cricketing world cannot continue to treat teams like Nepal as temporary guests at the big party.
ENG vs NEP, T20 World Cup 2026: Highlighting | Scorecard
“I’ll talk about what we’re doing with the affiliate or slightly lower teams. It’s token participation. It’s lip service,” Chopra said. “This is not a laudatory post that they’re doing well and then you remember them two years from now.
Watch the video here:
Chopra pointed out how quickly the buzz around affiliate teams fades after the tournament is over.
“They came to the wedding and then you forgot about them. You don’t even know where they are for the next two years,” he added. “The lower-ranked teams have done well in every single game, but that’s not going to stick because we hear that story every two years. We celebrate it, we talk about it, and then we forget about it completely,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter to us at all. We move on. We go to our homes and play our bilateral matches and tournaments. Nobody cares about them,” remarked Chopra. “When I see them collapsing under pressure, how they can’t close moments, those are the things that happen,” he added.
How Nepal gave England a scare
Nepal led by Rohit Paudel, came painfully close to scripting one of the great World Cup upsets against England. With a huge score of 185, they finished at 180/6, just four runs after taking the contest deep into the final over.
And what made the night even more special was the atmosphere. The Wankhede was a sea of Nepali colours, the fans in blue jerseys and red flags easily outnumbering the England fans. Every ball looked like a celebration, every wicket like a festival. For a while, it really looked like Nepal was playing at home.
When Nepal needed 10 runs off in the final with Lokesh Bam at the crease, the fairytale was in place. But England held their nerve to grab a last-second victory and leave Nepal with another heart.
Despite the defeat, Paudel said he was extremely proud of his players and insisted that Nepal were not at the World Cup just to participate, but to compete hard against every opponent.
How did Nepal make it to the T20 World Cup?
Nepal’s rise did not happen overnight, it was a slow, stubborn climb. They first appeared on the T20 World Cup stage in 2014, disappeared for a decade, returned in 2024 and are now back again for the third series after going through the Asia & EAP qualifiers undefeated. No longer a cameo, it’s beginning to feel like a real cricketing presence.
And even outside the World Cup, Nepal has been quietly picking up decent results. The biggest statement came in 2025 when they stunned two-time champions West Indies with a historic 2–1 T20I series win in Sharjah, a reminder that they can beat the full-fledged members when given the chance.
In the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup, Nepal will find themselves in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Italy, another tough pool, another chance to prove they belong in this company.
They have also earned a reputation as “cardiac Nepal”, a team that somehow drags games to the last decisive moment, lives on the edge, thrives in chaos but often falls short when the finish line appears. And that’s exactly where Chopr’s bigger point lands.
It can’t just be a good feeling from the World Cup that will disappear after the tournament is over. If cricket really wants to grow, Nepal needs regular bilateral and more competitive matches. More exposure means less heartbreaking endings and “Cardiac Nepal” could soon become simply “Nepal, the team that knows how to win”.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 9, 2026
