Nepal secured a 17-run victory in their first match of the T20I series against the United States at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, on Friday.

Batting first, the Rhinos posted a challenging total of 164-9 in their 20 overs, with captain Rohit Paudel leading the charge with a valuable 49 from 33 balls. Dipendra Singh Airee made a significant impact, scoring a rapid 28 off 17 balls, providing a late surge to their innings.

Nepal got off to a solid start with Anil Sah (27) and Aasif Sheikh (27) forming a partnership of 48 runs. However, the middle order struggled to accelerate, with Kushal Bhurtel (10) and Gulsan Jha (11) falling cheaply.

The innings were revived by Paudel and Airee, who added 50 runs for the fifth wicket.

Harmeet Singh stood out for the United States, taking two wickets for 18 runs in his four overs, while Saurabh Netravalkar and Jasdeep Singh also picked up two wickets each.

In response, the United States faced early setbacks, quickly losing both openers—Monank Patel (3) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (2).

Andries Gous tried to steady the ship with a 30-ball 30, but his dismissal in the 10th over left the hosts at a precarious 56-4.

Shayan Jahangir fought valiantly, scoring an unbeaten 60 off 34 balls, but his efforts were not enough to chase down Nepal’s total. Despite a late rally, the United States finished on 147-7.

Nepal’s bowling was disciplined throughout the innings. Dipendra Singh Airee starred with the ball, taking three crucial wickets for 27 runs, including the important dismissals of Milind Kumar (22) and Jasdeep Singh (16). Karan KC (1-18) and Rijan Dhakal (1-21) also played key roles in restricting the USA’s batting line-up.

Airee’s all-round performance earned him the Player of the Match award.