Visiting cricket teams arriving in Nepal often prepare themselves for one thing above all else—a deafening crowd that rarely cheers for anyone but the hosts.

For years, the TU International Cricket Ground has been synonymous with packed grassy banks, flags and relentless noise, turning Nepal’s supporters into the team’s unofficial 12th man.

But during Nepal’s crucial ICC CWC League-2 matches, against the UAE and Oman, something felt unusual: the noise was missing.

The UAE, considered Nepal’s biggest cricket rivals, have played 11 matches—six ODIs and three T20Is—at TU Ground. Overall, the two teams have played 32 matches across both formats since 2018.

The Emiratis have witnessed some dominating moments from the Nepali crowd during the “Associate El Clásico”, especially during the ACC Men’s Premier Cup final against the hosts on May 1, 2023.

On that day, thousands of devoted supporters braved heavy rain for hours on the grassy banks of TU Ground, refusing to leave in hopes of a restart. Their patience was ultimately tested when the match was pushed to a reserve day, but their unwavering energy remained the defining image of the tournament. Nepal won the match by seven wickets on May 2.

Nepal’s fans show up in huge numbers throughout the world. The T20 World Cups in the Americas in 2024 and India in 2026 are great examples of Nepali fans’ support, that too on foreign soil.

It is this increasing support and affection towards the gentleman’s game among Nepalis that the government invested in transforming TU Ground into a full-fledged stadium.

After around a year of the first-phase upgrade in 2025, the home of Nepali cricket now has grandstands with proper seating for 10,000 fans and floodlights for night games. However, the seats have remained mostly empty for the Rhinos’ crucial League-2 fixtures against the UAE and Oman.

“Even when we did not play in the World Cups, many fans used to come to support us,” Nepal’s one-day vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee said after the six-run win over the UAE on May 1. “But there is not much crowd recently—neither in the night T20s [against the UAE] nor now.”

Airee did not stop by stating the problems. He also mentioned the possible causes for the drop in physical support on the ground. “Maybe it is because the tickets are expensive,” he said.

Nepal had played two T20Is against the UAE under floodlights, on April 20 and 21, before the League-2 tri-series commenced. CAN hoped that night matches would allow fans to arrive after completing their jobs. However, not many fans turned out for the matches that cost Rs750 for a ticket.

Netizens criticised the ticket price of Rs750 for Nepal’s T20I matches against the UAE, though it was far cheaper than the general tickets for the playoffs and finals of the second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), Nepal’s premier T20 franchise tournament, last year.

A general ticket for the 2nd NPL’s playoffs cost Rs1,000, and the premium one was sold at Rs2,000 each.

And it was much cheaper for a 50-over League-2 tri-series. CAN had set Rs400 for Nepal’s League-2 matches, while tickets for the fixtures between the UAE and Oman cost Rs100 each.

But fans were still calling out Rs400 for a ticket ‘expensive’.

As a result, CAN, on Monday, decided to slash the ticket price for Nepal’s last fixture of the League-2 tri-series, against Oman on Tuesday, by half. The step was taken to ensure that many fans come to support the Rhinos, keep the visitors under pressure and celebrate Nepal’s win in style.

How much of an impact the reduction in ticket price would make on Tuesday remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Nepal need to defeat Oman to keep their hopes for the top four alive.

And it is not just Oman that Nepal will have to defeat to qualify for the final qualifier of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup as one of the top four teams. Placed seventh out of eight teams recently, Nepal will face the USA and Scotland, the Netherlands and Namibia, and Oman and Canada as part of their remaining League-2 tri-series.

All of Nepal’s upcoming opponents—the USA, Scotland, Oman, the Netherlands, Namibia and Canada—are in the top six positions in the table. Only the UAE are beneath Nepal.

Nepal still have matches, points and qualification hopes left to chase. But as the team prepares for decisive fixtures ahead, one question remains just as important: whether the country’s famed cricket craze will return to the stands when the Rhinos need it most.

As Nepal eye a win over Oman before they head for the remaining three tri-series, where 24 points in 12 matches are up for grabs, the Rhinos are expecting the cricket craze to return to TU Ground on Tuesday.

But it will not be easy. Nepal have had a poor record against Oman in ODIs in Kirtipur. Of the four ODIs Oman have played against Nepal at TU Ground, Nepal have lost thrice.

Nepal’s only ODI win over Oman in Kirtipur was on April 21, 2023. And having lost to Oman by 102 runs in the first match of the ongoing League-2 tri-series a week ago, the Rhinos aim to encourage their fans to back them and boost their confidence on Tuesday.

If head coach Stuart Law, skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel, the man-in-form Airee and the team manage to win all the upcoming fixtures, it will be a déjà vu of the inaugural League-2 cycle (2019-2023) where former coach Monty Desai did the impossible by winning 11 of the remaining 12 matches and finishing as one of the top four.