Nepal vs Italy Prediction & Match Preview – T20 World Cup 2026, 17th Match

Nepal can be proud of how they pushed England in their opener. Chasing 185, they needed only eight from the last three balls before ending four runs short. Kushal Bhurtel scored 29 off 17 and captain Rohit Paudel 39 off 34, then Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee added 82 for the third wicket. Airee hit 44 off 29 and has more than 2,000 T20I runs and 60 wickets in 91 matches. Lokesh Bam smashed 39 at a strike rate of 195 late on.

With the ball, Airee and Nandan Yadav took two wickets each against England, and Sandeep Lamichhane, who has 130 wickets in 69 T20Is, is always a threat on subcontinental pitches. Karan KC and Sompal Kami add balance.

Italy had a hard introduction to World Cup cricket, losing to Scotland by 73 runs. JJ Smuts scored 22 off 11 and the Manenti brothers steadied the chase, with Ben making 52 off 31 and Harry 37 off 25, but the lower order faded. Ali Hasan, Thomas Draca, Smuts and Grant Stewart took one wicket each; Stewart took six wickets in three games against Ireland before the tournament, and Crishan Kalugamage has 11 wickets in the past year.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

The Wankhede surface typically favours batters, with true bounce, short boundaries and a quick outfield. Seamers may get brief swing from the sea breeze, after which they must rely on variations. Spinners find limited help, so accuracy counts for more than turn. Dew often matters at night, but this is an afternoon game, where it should be less of a factor.

Weather

A warm, mostly sunny afternoon of around 30–32 °C is expected, with some cloud at times, a light to moderate breeze, moderate humidity and a very low chance of rain.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 155–170
• 2nd innings: 145–165

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