The Rhinos have not had a good start in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They lost by four runs against England in the first group-stage match on February 8, and then by 10 wickets against Italy on February 12.

With two more matches remaining, Nepal’s chance for the Super 8 hangs by a tiny thread. They will face the West Indies, a tw0-time T20 World Cup champion, and Scotland on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.

Despite two consecutive losses, Nepali players are still motivated as they receive training at the Mumbai-based Wankhede Stadium, Nepal’s venue for all four group-stage matches, on Saturday. The Rhinos have faced the West Indies team across two different series already, and that could be the reason they don’t seem under pressure to face one of the toughest T20 opponents in the world.

Nepal hosted the ‘A’ team of the West Indies across a five-match T20 series in April-May 2024, while traveling to Sharjah, UAE, for a three-match T20I series against the senior team in September last year.

While the Rhinos had lost the series against West Indies ‘A’ 2-3 at the TU International Cricket Stadium, they created history by defeating the senior side 2-1 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

As the Rhinos prepare against the toughest squad of the Caribbean they have faced so far, they will have some known faces from the previous series in the World Cup.

Five players Nepal faced before

There are five players in the West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad who were part of either the ‘A’ team’s visit to Nepal or the tour in Sharjah. They are: Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Gudakesh Motie, Roston Chase and Akeal Hosein.

Holder is one of the most experienced players in the current squad of the West Indies. He has played 69 Test matches, 138 ODIs and 91 T20Is for the Caribbean side.

Holder was the joint-highest wicket taker during the three-match series against Nepal in Sharjah. He picked five wickets in three matches, with a 4-20 in the first T20I on September 27, 2025.

While he could not score enough against Nepal, he cannot be written off with the bat when the West Indies face the Rhinos at Wankhede on Sunday. He smashed a quick 33 off 17 against England on February 11.

Motie will be another player to watch. He was crucial with the ball against England as he picked three wickets—of Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton and skipper Harry Brook. Motie was in the ‘A’ squad that travelled to Nepal in 2024. A left-arm spinner, Motie played all the five matches and picked six wickets at the TU International Cricket Stadium.

Hosein is another left-arm spinner from the West Indies whom Nepal have played before. Hosein was in the squad to face Nepal in Sharjah, where he picked four wickets in three matches. While he was wicketless against Scotland, he picked one while giving away 32 runs against England in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Roston Chase could be another trouble for Nepal on Sunday. Chase was the skipper of the ‘A’ team that toured Nepal, where he scored 130 runs in three innings he batted during the five fixtures.

An all-rounder, Chase did not play against Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup. But against England, he smashed 34 off 29 with the bat and picked two wickets for 29 runs in his four overs with the ball.

Johnson Charles scored plenty against Nepal for the ‘A’ team in 2024. He was second in the list of batters with most runs in the five-match series, behind Nepali skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel (265 runs in four matches).

Charles had scored a century, 119 off 61, which was the highest score of the series, in the third T20 on May 1, 2024. Overall, he scored 212 runs in four of the five matches he got to bat. He is yet to play for the West Indies in the ongoing World Cup, but if he starts in the match against Nepal on Sunday, he could be a big obstacle for Nepali bowlers.

The West Indies are the table topper of Group C with two wins in two games.