🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026:M17: Italy vs Nepal , Wankhede🏏

The International Cricket Council, in its recent release, stated that the biggest spike in following on its digital platforms last week came from Nepal, a country whose cricket team nearly pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history when they threatened to beat England in the opening game of the 2026 T20 World Cup but marginally fell short.

Rohit Paudel, Nepal's skipper, had mentioned after the game that they hadn't turned up to the World Cup merely to 'participate'. They have come here with the belief of being able to beat every team they come up against.

There may or may not be more such heartbreaks in Nepal's splendid growth story in cricket, but if they were to come out on top in one World Cup contest this year, their safest bet would be against Italy - a team which is also scripting one of the finest growth stories in global cricket in recent times.

While both the teams would be aware that a chance to qualify to the next round of the tournament seems a bit improbable, if they were to have an outside shot at it, the afternoon encounter in Mumbai, on Thursday, would have to be clinched. A defeat in this game would all but end any rational hopes of qualification.

Italy have been dented by the injury to skipper Wayne Madsen, and his availability remains uncertain, but on a surface which has come under a bit of scrutiny following its sluggish nature in the contest between India and USA, they could put up a fight against Nepal. There will be a lot at stake in what might seem a clash of minnows in the tournament.

When: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 3:00 PM

Where: Nepal vs Italy, Match 17, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: The pitch might hold up a bit, unlike the flat surfaces usually on offer at the Wankhede Stadium. The familiarity with the conditions would be favourable for Nepal.

Team News:

Italy: Wayne Madsen dislocated his shoulder while fielding in Italy's opening game. He was expected to undergo assessments for concussion and a possible neck injury. His availability remains uncertain.

Probable XI: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, Syed Naqvi, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti, Jaspreet Singh/Marcus Campopiano, Grant Stewart, Gian Meade, Crishan Kalugamage, Thomas Draca, Ali Hasan

Nepal: They might go unchanged for this game.

Probable XI: Kushal Bhartel, Aasif Sheikh, Rohit Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla

Big picture: All-Associate clash as Nepal take on Italy

Nepal enter the contest against Italy, a team they have never faced before, on the back of falling short by just one big blow against England on Sunday. Nepal will look to bring that same brand of cricket in Mumbai again and will believe they hold the edge and momentum against their fellow Associates, who are playing their first big tournament.

Emerging from the shadows of the globetrotting legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane are batters Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam, who all but took their side over the line in front of loud and energetic fans. But with the ball, Nepal conceded 33 runs in the last two overs of the first innings in that game, and that turned out to be the difference.

However, two points - and a possible big margin of victory - against Italy will open Nepal's group up before they face West Indies; Nepal had beaten West Indies 2-1 last September.

Italy, meanwhile, had a tough initiation at the T20 World Cup with a 73-run defeat against Scotland. They also lost their captain Wayne Madsen to injury inside four overs of their T20 World Cup debut. He will not feature against Nepal either.

Italy coach John Davison said after the loss that the "occasion may have got big on us". With nothing to lose and experience to gain, Italy have another chance to have fun and potentially upset some calculations, before facing stronger oppositions England and West Indies.

the spotlight: Ben Manenti and Lokesh Bam

Batting at No. 5, Ben Manenti was one of the positives for Italy in their loss to Scotland. He started with only seven runs off seven balls, but went on to smash 52 in 31. The majority of his runs came against spinners (45 runs in 25 balls) with shots all around: behind square, through cover, and over the bowler's head. Italy will hope Ben Manenti carries that confidence against Lamichhane and co.

Lokesh Bam threw everything he had at England when they needed 54 in 21 balls, but fell agonisingly short. Facing quality and experienced bowlers, he smacked back-to-back fours off Sam Curran and successive sixes off Jofra Archer as England searched for answers. Bam's 39 not out was not enough on the day, but he gave solid proof of his big-hitting ability, something the format demands.

Team news: Harry Manenti to captain Italy

Madsen has been ruled out against Nepal, and in his absence, Harry Manenti, the younger of the two brothers, will be leading Italy. Middle-order batter Marcus Campopiano could replace Madsen in the side.

Italy (probable): 1 Anthony Mosca, 2 Justin Mosca, 3 JJ Smuts, 4 Marcus Campopiano, 5 Harry Manenti (capt), 6 Ben Manenti, 7 Grant Stewart, 8 Gian-Piero Meade (wk), 9 Thomas Draca, 10 Crishan Kalugamage, 11 Ali Hasan

Nepal might look to play the same team that ran England close at the same ground on Sunday.

Nepal (probable): 1 Aasif Sheikh (wk), 2 Kushal Bhurtel, 3 Rohit Paudel (capt), 4 Dipendra Airee, 5 Aarif Sheikh, 6 Lokesh Bam, 7 Gulsan Jha, 8 Karan KC, 9 Sandeep Lamichhane, 10 Nandan Yadav, 11 Sher Malla

Pitch and conditions: Warm conditions expected

The first two games at the Wankhede Stadium saw scores of 161 and 184 batting first, and both were successfully defended. Nepal and Italy face-off in the afternoon on Thursday, so dew might not play a big role. It could be a warm afternoon, with temperatures in the mid-30 degrees.

Stats and trivia

• Ben and Harry Manenti's partnership of 73 against Scotland was the second-highest between brothers in a T20 World Cup. The highest is the 96 which Kamran and Umar Akmal added against Australia in 2014
• Fourteen bowlers have taken at least 130 wickets in T20Is, and Sandeep Lamichhane's economy rate of 6.03 is the best among them.

Nepal played so well against England, it was sad they lost by 4 runs. Hope they win this match

Thanks for thread Parm

Form guide

Italy LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)

Nepal LWWWW

What they said:

"Our boys have given all they had. That's what makes them different. I'm very proud of them. We had that belief when we came into this World Cup. We didn't come here to just participate. We wanted to compete. And we had that belief in the group that we can beat any of the sides if we play our best brand of cricket." - Rohit Paudel, Nepal skipper, following the loss against England

"The Nepalese guys have had the benefit of playing there and I think they play all four games there, so I think that's a big advantage for them. But we'll have to just adjust and think on our feet. We don't have our captain, who is probably one of our better players of spin, so someone else will have to step up into that spot and steer the innings through the middle." - John Davison, Italy coach