Second ball of the 49th over in the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup between India and Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni is at the striker’s end when Nuwan Kulasekara begins his runup.

India need four runs off 11 deliveries.

Right-handed Kulasakera bowls a full-length delivery, and Dhoni hits his trademark helicopter shot. And before the ball crosses the boundary rope, Ravi Shastri, who was commentating, had already announced, “Dhoni finishes off in style.”

Dhoni twirled the bat as he watched the white ball sail into the stands over long-on. There were celebrations everywhere after that as India had lifted the World Cup after 28 years, that too at home. Moreover, this they did at the country’s cricket capital, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Fifteen years on, the same ground prepares to script another World Cup story—this time with Nepal hoping to carve a chapter of their own when they play their group-stage matches of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Rhinos have not only expectations back home to meet. They have eyes glued on them around the globe.

“I know Nepali cricket has grown over the years,” said England’s Will Jacks during the pre-match conference at Wankhede Stadium on Friday. “We will not be looking to make mistakes as every game matters.”

Nepal and England come face to face in their first match of the World Cup on Sunday. And as Jacks said on Friday, the English team will not be taking any of their matches lightly, even against Nepal.

It will be the first time Nepal will play England. As Nepal aim for the Super 8 stage, they will need to win as many of the four matches as they possibly can. Nepal and England are in Group C, accompanied by the West Indies, Italy and Scotland.

England and the West Indies have won the T20 World Cup twice each and they have been the heavyweights of global cricket for a long time. It will not be easy to upset these opponents for Nepal.

Nepal also cannot take their other matches lightly.

Italy on a high

Like Nepal, Italy and Scotland are Associates. In the two matches played between Nepal and Scotland on Scottish soil in June last year, the two won a match each in the double round-robin tri-series also including the Netherlands.

Italy are new to the global cricket community, but they beat Scotland in the Europe Regional Qualifier. They further raised their standard by defeating Canada and the UAE in the World Cup’s warmup matches on February 2 and 6, respectively.

Moreover, they posted 193/7 against the UAE on Friday, and managed to bundle out the UAE for a paltry 81 in 18.2 overs.

Despite being a new nation in the cricketing world, Italy are aiming to make their maiden berth at the 2026 main event a memorable one.

“It will be the first time a cricket World Cup will be televised live in Italy,” Wayne Madsen, Italy’s skipper, said in the Captain’s Press Conference on Thursday. “To bring cricket to the map [of Italy] by participating in the World Cup is a proud moment.”

Scotland, who got an unprecedented entry to the World Cup after Bangladesh’s withdrawal, are also well prepared for the event. So, again, no easy road for Nepal through this group.

Wankhede’s conditions

Though it does not look all good for Nepal, the Rhinos are highly motivated to turn the tides in their third T20 World Cup.

Wankhede Stadium, which has red-soil pitches, is a high-scoring ground. Talking about the impact of red-soil pitches with Espncricinfo in March 2022, Ashish Nehra and Harshal Patel had said that it will have ample bounce.

“The surface could be utilised by fast bowlers to make an impact considering the carry would be good,” read the article ‘Red soil vs black: Expect ample bounce at the Wankhede, spinners to thrive in Pune’ by Espncricinfo, a site specialising in cricket. “Aggressive strike bowlers can easily take quick wickets in the powerplay to neutralize the damage that batters could potentially carry out in the latter half of the innings.”

But Nepal does not have good pacers, though Nandan Yadav has been expected to be of great use in the red-soil pitch at Wankhede, the venue where Nepal will play all their group-stage matches. England, Italy, Scotland and the West Indies, on the other hand, will also play their matches at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Nonetheless, Nepal have canny spinners. “The pitch has traditionally been full of runs, but the red soil ensures that there is some help for spinners during the last couple of days of a five-day game,” reads the overview of Wankhede Stadium prepared by Espncricinfo.

Nepal-England match begins at 3pm local time. All signs suggest there will not be much dew even in the second inning, making it easier for Nepali spinners—such as Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and Sher Malla—even if they bowl second.

But England, alongside pacer Jofra Archer, also boasts a good list of spinners in their squad. Alongside Jacks feature Adil Rashid, Sam Curran and youngsters Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed.

“Sam’s major aspect is that his ball comes very late, and the batter needs to hit it cleanly, if not, you are caught in the boundary line,” Jacks said on Friday.

England’s captain Harry Brook, on Thursday, had said that the shorter boundaries and quick outfield at Wankhede and other grounds of India increased the chances of high scores, even up to 300. But Jacks, maybe because he is a bowler, said that it would not be so easy to score so many runs.

One thing is clear: It will be a real test of Nepali batsmen. After winning the two warmup matches against Canada and the UAE, having trained for around two weeks in Sri Lanka and India, and with the high of defeating the West Indies in September last year, the Rhinos are looking forward to making the 2026 main event a memorable one. Also they had a close encounter against the Proteas in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“Most of us in the current squad were inspired by Nepal’s performance at the 2014 World Cup, and we expect to inspire a new generation to emerge from the 2026 World Cup,” said Nepal’s captain Rohit Kumar Paudel on Thursday.