The journey of the Nepali men's team to the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi, ended in a highly disappointing manner. On Tuesday, September 29, the match between Nepal and Sri Lanka, scheduled for the quarter-finals at Korogi Sports Park in Nishin, was cancelled due to incessant rain, and no ball was played.
Following the cancellation, Sri Lanka automatically advanced to the semi-finals due to a higher ranking. According to the Asian Games rules, if a playoff match is canceled due to bad weather, the team with the better ranking receives the right to advance to the next round.
Currently, Sri Lanka ranks 9th in the ICC T20 rankings, while Nepal is ranked 14th. Because of this rule, Sri Lanka secured a spot in the semi-finals, and Nepal's campaign concluded.
The Sri Lankan team will now face India in the semi-final on October 1 (Thursday) at 10 am Indian time. The match between India and Afghanistan was also completely cancelled due to rain, allowing the Indian team to reach the semi-finals based on its high ranking. Furthermore, the Pakistani team also advanced to the semi-finals, and the match between Pakistan and Hong Kong was cancelled even before the coin toss due to rain.
The Nepali team demonstrated impressive play, finishing first in Group A and earning three points. Their tournament began with a convincing victory over Afghanistan by five wickets. Nepal's next match was supposed to be against the host country, Japan, but this match also yielded no results due to poor weather and unfavorable conditions.
Thanks to these results, the Nepali team managed to qualify for the quarter-finals. However, the weather did not support Nepal in the playoffs. Constant rains made the field unplayable, and the match ultimately had to be called off. As a result, Sri Lanka earned a ticket to the semi-finals due to its higher ranking.
The Nepal squad includes: Kushal Bhurtal, Asif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Rohit Paudel, Kushal Malla, Gulshan Ja, Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Sandip Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan Keshi, Sandip Lamichane, Nandan Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi, Arif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, and Sher Malla.
The full Sri Lanka squad consists of: Ashen Bandara, Lasith Khusupale, Sineth Jayawardene, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Nuwanindu Fernando, Sakhan Arachchige (captain), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Vijayakanth Vyasakanth, Nuwan Tusara, Tarindu Ratnake, Wanudha Sahan, Sohan Di Livera, and Garuka Sanketh.