Mumbai: Nepal’s star batsman Dipendra Singh Iry achieved a major milestone in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Irie became the first Nepali player to cross 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals, reaching the milestone in his 91st T20I match. The right-hander’s T20I career includes one century and ten fifties, with a personal best of 110 runs.
Highest T20 run scorers for Nepal:
• Dipendra Singh Airey — 2000* runs
• Kushal Purdel – 1836 runs
• Rohit Bowdal – 1677 runs
• Asif Shaikh – 1646 runs
• Kushal Malla – 1003 runs
At the time of filing this report, Nepal were 125-43 in 15 overs while chasing England’s total of 185, with Rohit Bowdal and Arif Shaikh at the crease.
Dipendra Singh Airey scored 44 runs off 29 balls.
Batting first, England got off to a poor start. Opener Phil Salt took 1 run from 2 balls before being dismissed by Sher Malla on the first delivery of the second over.
Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethel steadied the innings, scoring runs with free-flowing boundaries.
However, Nandan Yadav broke the momentum and smashed Buttler’s 26 off 17 balls, which included 5 fours, as England reached 43 for 2 in 4.3 overs.
The pressure continued as Tom Panton fell for 2 off Sandeep Lamichane in the first ball of the seventh over.
Bethel and captain Harry Brooke rebuilt the innings with a 71-run partnership, Bethel scoring 55 runs off 35 balls including 4 fours and 4 sixes.
England scored 128 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 13.4 overs and Dipendra Singh Airey took the wicket of Bethel.
Brook continued the innings and Nandan Yadav ended his innings with a 32-ball 53.
Will Jacks finished unbeaten on 39 off 18 balls with 4 sixes and Archer was run out for 1 run.