Nepal’s men’s cricket team will be in Mumbai, India, during the first week of February 2026 for the T20 World Cup. But before they travel to the neighbour, the Rhinos could get the chance to celebrate the historic achievement of the Nepali women’s team.

The two grounds of Mulpani, Kathmandu, are hosting the biggest-ever ICC tournament in Nepal—ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier—from January 18 next year. In a bid to utilise the home advantage and see the women’s team play at the biggest stage too, the Cricket Association of Nepal, on October 11, had called for applicants for the post of head coach for the Nepali women’s national team.

As a result, the CAN on Tuesday revealed Harshal Jayant Pathak as the head coach for the senior women’s team. His revelation has showered gratitude for the CAN, as the fans following women’s cricket are well aware of Pathak’s accolades and abilities. Pathak is the first foreign head coach of the Nepal women’s cricket team.

Pathak took Thailand to World Cup

With over two decades of coaching experience at the First Class and state-level cricket in India, Pathak joined the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) in November 2018 to look after the country’s women’s team.

Pathak, who had also worked with Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur from 2016 to 2018, took the Thailand women’s team to their maiden T20 World Cup in 2020.

Further, when Thailand entered the Global Qualifier for the 2020 World Cup, they thrashed the chances of Nepal. In a single round-robin Asia Qualifier between seven teams, Nepal’s only loss came against the hosts, Thailand, by 57 runs on February 21, 2019.

With a perfect run at home, Pathak’s side then entered the Global Qualifier in Scotland. Thailand had bested the likes of Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia in the group stage and defeated Papua New Guinea in the semi-final to qualify for the World Cup as the top two teams of the qualifier.

The girls from the Land of Smiles lost in the final of the qualifier, against Bangladesh by 70 runs on September 7, 2019, but they had already got the biggest prize with Pathak at the helm.

Thailand could not register a single win in the World Cup group stage, but they showed the world that they were an emerging force in women’s cricket.

Further, they cemented the fact when they entered the semi-finals of the 2022 Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Thailand entered the semis after toppling the hosts on points as the latter’s last match of the league stage against the UAE was abandoned due to rain, forcing Bangladesh to share points.

Pathak, who then joined the men’s team of Thailand in 2022, is currently with the team in the 33rd SEA Games. Speaking to BBC Nepali, CAN spokesperson Chhumbi Lama said that Pathak would join the Nepali squad, who are in a closed camp from December 5, within a week.

Nepal and Thailand are in Group B alongside Scotland, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands. Group A comprises Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the United States of America.

The top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super Six after a single round-robin group stage. And the top four teams from the Super Six, also after a single round-robin tournament, will qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup being hosted by England and Wales from June 12 to July 5 next year.

Thailand have been a major obstacle for Nepal’s women’s cricket team. Nepal have never defeated Thailand in their last seven encounters. And they will remain a threat when they arrive in Nepal for the qualifier in January 2026. But with Pathak by Nepal’s side, and with thousands of fans cheering at the Mulpani grounds, the Nepali women’s team have high chances of upsetting Thailand and other teams to book a ticket to the United Kingdom.