No one looked nervous during the Cricket Association of Nepal’s farewell function for the Rhinos, who are leaving for Sri Lanka for a training session on Sunday, ahead of their participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

It is neither the country’s nor the majority of the current Nepali players’ first T20 World Cup. From their debut in the main event during the fifth edition in 2014, the Rohit Kumar Paudel-led side took Nepal to a second appearance after a decade in the ninth edition in 2024.

The team competing in the 10th edition includes a majority of players who were part of the previous World Cup in 2024. Paudel will lead the 15-member squad to India and Sri Lanka, with nine players returning from the 2024 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean—Dipendra Singh Airee, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane and Gulshan Kumar Jha.

Lamichhane missed the matches in the USA due to visa issues but joined the team in the Caribbean and played in the match against South Africa, the runners-up of the 2024 World Cup, who defeated Nepal by one run in the group stage.

The new faces in the 2026 event are Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Nandan Yadav, Lokesh Bam and Sher Malla. Malla, who raised eyebrows in the second season of the Nepal Premier League, will be making his debut for Nepal at the World Cup.