In Match 33 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, two associate nations are set to face off with very different goals.
Scotland still have a chance to make the Super Eight, and this game against Nepal has become a must-win for them after their loss to England. Nepal, meanwhile, are looking to leave the World Cup stage with at least a win, having lost their first three games.
For this game, here we present our preview and predictions.
Scotland have one win from three games, though it could have been very different had their batters applied themselves a little bit more. In both their games against the West Indies and England, Scotland were looking like they might pull off a big upset, only to fall short at the final hurdle, with their inexperience at the top level proving to be a deciding factor.
The Scottish batting unit has had an average tournament thus far, with their batters getting starts in all the games, but barring their game against Italy, which they won, they have failed to make it count. Against England, captain Richie Berrington looked like he was taking his team to a healthy total of over 180, but his dismissal at the wrong time triggered a collapse, which turned out to be the deciding factor. The Scottish batters will hope to put up a better show against Nepal in what is a must-win game for them.
The Scots’ bowling has been one of their strong points this World Cup along with their fielding, with Brandon McMullen and Brad Currie being economical at the top and providing early breakthroughs. On slow tracks across the World Cup, Scottish spinners Mark Watt, Oliver Davidson, and Michael Leask have been terrific, and Berrington will hope his bowlers continue to impress.
Nepal, on the other hand, were inches away from causing a major upset in their first game against England, before imploding against Italy and the West Indies in two very disappointing batting performances.
Nepal’s batters have been scrappy throughout the tournament. They got decent starts against England but weren’t able to pull through, while against Italy’s spinners they collapsed in a heap. Most of their top order has got starts and some runs, and Rohit Paudel will hope for a better batting performance against Scotland.
In terms of bowling, Nepal went wicketless against Italy and picked up only one against the West Indies, with their slower bowlers providing breakthroughs so far. In Mumbai, captain Paudel will want the likes of Sandeep Lamichhane to step up.
The Wankhede has always brought about plenty of runs along with some assistance for seamers, though at this World Cup there has been turn on offer, which will bring the spin attack of both teams into play.
Scotland haven’t had the results their strong performances would warrant, but we expect them to come good here after impressing against the bigger teams.
Fantasy XI: Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, George Munsey, Brandon McMullen, Matthew Cross (wk), Rohit Paudel, Richie Berrington (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Michael Leask, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mark Watt
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Winners Prediction: Scotland
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