In a dominant display at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Nepal secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Canada in the 12th warm-up match for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Canada, batting first, managed to post 161 for six in their allotted 20 overs, with Shreyas Movva remaining unbeaten on 38 and opener Navneet Dhaliwal contributing a solid 41. Kanwarpal Tathgur added 25 to the total, but Nepal’s bowlers Sandip Lamichhane and Kushal Bhurtel each claimed two wickets to keep the scoring in check.
Chasing the target, Nepal cruised to victory in just 18 overs, finishing at 162 for four. Aasif Sheikh starred with an explosive unbeaten 58 off 29 balls, smashing three sixes and six fours in a match-winning knock. Sandeep Jora supported with 44 runs, while Gulshan Jha remained not out on 31. Canada’s bowlers Jaskaran Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, and Ajayveer Hundal picked up one wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to defend the total.
Meanwhile, the 13th warm-up clash between Australia and Netherlands was abandoned without a ball bowled due to persistent rain, leaving fans disappointed as even the toss couldn’t take place.
The action continued at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai for the 14th warm-up, where New Zealand edged out the USA by a thrilling seven runs. The Kiwis set a formidable 208 for seven, powered by Tim Seifert’s blistering 66 off 31 balls – including 10 fours and two sixes – before retiring out. Glenn Phillips added 40, and Daryl Mitchell chipped in with 32. USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar was the standout bowler with two wickets, supported by Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, and Shubham Ranjane.
USA fought valiantly in pursuit, reaching 201 for eight. Saiteja Mukkamalla smashed 50 off 31 balls with six boundaries, Milind Kumar made 43, and Shubham Ranjane scored 41. However, Matt Henry’s remarkable 5 for 32 in four overs, along with Ish Sodhi’s two wickets and Jacob Duffy’s one, sealed a narrow win for New Zealand. These warm-ups signal an exciting buildup to the T20 World Cup 2026.