Nepal defeated Scotland by seven wickets with four balls to spare in their final Group C match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Tuesday.

The victory marked Nepal’s first T20 World Cup triumph since their debut in 2014 in Bangladesh, where they beat Hong Kong and Afghanistan. Nepal had lost six consecutive matches in the competition after that campaign.

Chasing 171, Nepal reached the target at the loss of three wickets in 19.2 overs to seal a consolation win.

Earlier, Scotland posted 170 for 7 from their 20 overs after being asked to bat first.

Michael Jones top-scored for Scotland with 71 off 45 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. He shared an 80-run opening stand with George Munsey, who made 27 off 29 deliveries. The pair guided Scotland to 80 without loss by the end of the 10th over.

Nepal pulled things back in the middle overs. Sompal Kami was the standout with the ball, returning figures of 3 for 25 from four overs. He dismissed Jones and Brandon McMullen in quick succession to stall Scotland’s momentum.

McMullen scored 25 off 19 balls, while captain Richie Berrington added 10. Nandan Yadav claimed 2 for 34, including the wickets of Matthew Cross and Michael Leask. Rohit Paudel and Kushal Bhurtel picked up a wicket each.

Scotland managed only 38 runs in the final five overs as Nepal tightened the screws. Mark Watt’s unbeaten 10 off four balls pushed the total to 170.

In reply, Nepal made a steady start. Kushal Bhurtel struck 43 off 35 balls, including four sixes, while Aasif Sheikh contributed 33 from 27 deliveries. The opening pair put on 74 runs in 9.1 overs to lay the platform.

Michael Leask brought Scotland back into the contest with three wickets. He removed Bhurtel, Aasif and Rohit Paudel, who made 16, to leave Nepal at 98 for 3 in the 14th over.

However, Dipendra Singh Airee turned the match decisively in Nepal’s favour. He smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 23 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes.

Gulsan Jha supported him with 24 not out off 17 balls. The pair shared an unbroken 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket, guiding Nepal past the target comfortably.

Leask finished with 3 for 30, but Scotland’s other bowlers struggled to contain the scoring rate as Nepal scored at 8.84 runs per over in the chase.