T20 World Cup 2026: Aakash Chopra suggests three-point blueprint for growth of cricket in Nepal

Aakash Chopra and Nepal. (Photo Source: Akash Chopra/ICC)

Rohit Paudel‘s Nepal registered a win in the T20 World Cup after 12 years during the ongoing edition of the tournament. They defeated Scotland at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, February 17, to finish their campaign on a high.

Nepal started the tournament with a gutsy performance against two-time champions England. The Asian side took Harry Brook’s men to the limit and eventually lost by just four runs. However, Nepal couldn’t build on this performance as they lost to Italy by 10 wickets and the West Indies by nine wickets in their next two games.

The Nepal fans had turned up in numbers to support their favourite team in all three games but returned disappointed. However, Paudel and Co. gave them a joy to savour as they defeated Scotland by seven wickets.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra took note of Nepal’s rise as a cricketing nation and suggested three steps which can be taken in order to make them and other Associate nations much more consistent.

Chopra urged Test-playing nations to play bilateral series regularly with Nepal. He also suggested that IPL (Indian Premier League) franchises should be allowed to have one extra overseas player in their squads provided they are from Associate Nations. Lastly, he proposed series between India A and Nepal.

Apart from Nepal, teams like Italy, United Arab Emirates, the USA, and the Netherlands have impressed cricket enthusiasts with some gritty performances during the 2026 T20 World Cup. They will look to build on these performances and use the experience to get better with other important assignments waiting on the horizon.

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