Nepal’s women’s cricket team usually doesn’t draw as much crowd as the men’s team.

But on Saturday afternoon, during the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier fixture between Nepal and Zimbabwe, fans kept on filing into the TU International Cricket Stadium until almost the end of the match.

“It is probably the largest crowd ever witnessed during a match of the Nepali women’s cricket team,” Bhanu Sigdel, Cricket Association of Nepal’s media manager, said as he observed the grandstands of the recently upgraded home of Nepali cricket.

No tickets are required for any of the Qualifier matches being played at the TU Stadium and Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground. Hence, it was not possible to determine the exact number of fans present during the Group B fixture between Nepal and Zimbabwe.

But the reaction of CAN officials and players suggested that they had never seen such a large crowd cheering on Nepali women cricketers.

And the players didn’t disappoint the historic crowd, as they pulled off a memorable, resounding six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe, a first against a Test-playing nation.

The crowd, however, was not the only thing that set a record on Saturday.

Puja Mahato’s third international fifty

Puja Mahato, Nepal’s key all-rounder still in her teenage years, played a crucial knock in the historic win. She stayed not out at 52 off 50 after completing the chase of 130 runs with a boundary in 19.3 overs.

Before the match against Zimbabwe, Nepali women cricketers had scored only seven WT20I fifties. Rubina Chhetry and Mahato had two each, while skipper Indu Barma, Sita Rana Magar and Samjhana Khadka had one each.

“It was a special fifty because it came in an important win,” Mahato said in the post-match press conference. “It was my second fifty at the TU Stadium.”

Mahato’s previous half centuries were against the Maldives and the Netherlands. She had scored her career-best 62 not out against the Netherlands at the TU Stadium during the tri-series comprising Thailand in February last year.

“I had lost my confidence after I gave away my wicket in the previous match of the Qualifier against the Netherlands,” Mahato shared. “But the head coach and the captain consoled me and kept on motivating me. They said a single match did not determine my abilities.”

Mahato stepped into the pitch on Saturday believing it would be her day. “And I made it my day,” she said with a grin.

At 19, Mahato is already the vice captain of the senior women’s team. She led the Nepal U19 team to their maiden World Cup in Malaysia last year. Under her captaincy, Nepal also defeated Pakistan during the U19 Women’s T20 Asia Cup in December 2024. She scored a century against Kuwait in the underage category in November 2024. And given her form and her young age, she appears destined for more.

Sita Rana Magar reaches 1,000 runs

The captain and vice-captain, Barma and Mahato, respectively, had the highest partnership during the chase against Zimbabwe. It was only a 35-run partnership for the third-wicket, but Nepal’s head coach Harshal Jayant Pathak believed it was crucial in the win.

“All the players performed well, but it was the partnership between Indu and Puja that stood out,” Pathak said in the post-match press conference.

Meanwhile, Pathak did not hesitate to highlight the impact of experienced Sita Rana Magar. Magar, who is the only active player from the first batch of the Nepali women’s cricket team in 2007, took a wicket in her four-over spell as Nepal elected to bowl first against Zimbabwe.

Magar gave away only 26 runs with the ball as Nepal restricted Zimbabwe to 129/6 in the first inning. And when she came out to bat at six, when Nepal were 92/4 in 13.2 overs, she was greeted with a loud cheer from the crowd, her blitzkrieg 27 off 12 against the Netherlands on Thursday still afresh in their mind.

However, Magar could not stay on the pitch for long on Saturday. She accidentally collided with bowler Kudzai Chigora while running for a single in 17.3 overs. Magar had to be taken out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

Magar, with great pain, completed the run before falling to the ground. The single took her to 11 off 15. On the bigger picture, Magar reached 1,003 WT20I runs. She is now the third Nepali woman cricketer, after Barma and Chhetry, to cross the milestone.

When Magar was retired hurt, Mahato was at 38 off 40, and Nepal required 13 off 21 for the win. Mahato was supported by Chhetry (2 off 2) to register the historic win, and keep Nepal’s chance for the Super 6 alive.

Coach Pathak informed later that Magar was recovering well.

‘We need more fans’

When the Post asked head coach Pathak if the crowd worked as an advantage for the home side on Saturday, he agreed.

“It was definitely an advantage,” Pathak said. “But we need more fans to support us in the next match.”

Nepal face Scotland on Monday. Scotland have four points from two wins in three matches, and Monday’s fixture against the hosts will be their final match of Group B.

If Nepal, who now have two points from a win in three matches, defeat Scotland, they could progress to the Super 6 as one of the top three teams from the group.

“This win will motivate us for the next match,” Mahato said. “We will need a calculative win over Scotland to get ahead on the net run rate. We will be preparing accordingly.”

Meanwhile, the Dutch beating Thailand in the other match on Monday would help Nepal. Like Nepal, Thailand also have four points from three matches, while the Dutch are unbeaten in their three fixtures.

Scotland registered their second win after defeating Thailand by five wickets in the first match of Saturday at the TU Stadium.

Similarly, in the other two matches of Group A played at Upper Mulpani on Saturday, Bangladesh defeated Ireland by nine runs to register their fourth consecutive win and qualify for the Super 6. Likewise, Papua New Guinea defeated Namibia by three wickets to register their first win in three games.