Introduction
The Nepal National Cricket Team vs Kuwait National Cricket Team rivalry has produced several competitive encounters in Asian and ICC regional cricket. For this guide, the most recent relevant men’s international meeting is the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier 2025 match on October 8, 2025, when Nepal defeated Kuwait by 58 runs at Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman. Nepal posted 141/7 after Kuwait won the toss and chose to bowl, with Kushal Bhurtel scoring 66 from 56 balls. Kuwait struggled in reply and were dismissed for only 83 in 18.1 overs. Nepal’s bowling attack shared the workload, with Lalit Rajbanshi and Sandeep Lamichhane taking two wickets apiece and Rohit Paudel also claiming two. The victory gave Nepal two points while Kuwait finished without points from the match.
Quick Match Summary
| Detail | Information |
| Match | Nepal vs Kuwait |
| Tournament | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier 2025 |
| Stage | Group 2, Match 3 |
| Date | October 8, 2025 |
| Venue | Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), Oman |
| Toss | Kuwait won and elected to field |
| Nepal | 141/7 in 20 overs |
| Kuwait | 83 all out in 18.1 overs |
| Result | Nepal won by 58 runs |
| Player of the Match | Kushal Bhurtel |
| Nepal points | 2 |
| Kuwait points | 0 |
The match was T20I number 3507 and was played as a night match in Al Amerat.
Match Scorecard
Nepal Innings – 141/7
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Kushal Bhurtel | 66 | 56 | 3 | 3 | 117.86 |
| Aasif Sheikh | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Rohit Paudel | 16 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 106.67 |
| Kushal Malla | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Sundeep Jora | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | 20 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 105.26 |
| Gulsan Jha | 20 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 333.33 |
| Sompal Kami | 1* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Nandan Yadav | 2* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Extras | 5 | ||||
| Total | 141/7 | 20 overs | 7.05 RPO |
Bhurtel provided the innings’ foundation, while Gulsan Jha’s 20 from just six balls supplied a spectacular late boost.
Kuwait bowling: Naveenraj Rajendran 2/40, Anudeep Chenthamara 2/22, Muhammad Aqif Farooq 1/17 and Mohammed Aslam 1/10.
Kuwait Innings – 83 All Out
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Clinto Anto | 26 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 113.04 |
| Ravija Sandaruwan | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Meet Bhavsar | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 91.67 |
| Usman Patel | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Yasin Patel | 19 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 70.37 |
| Mohammed Aslam | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Bilal Tahir | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Shiraz Khan | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 |
| Naveenraj Rajendran | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Anudeep Chenthamara | 3* | 11 | 0 | 0 | 27.27 |
| Muhammad Aqif Farooq | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Extras | 8 | ||||
| Total | 83 all out | 18.1 overs | 4.57 RPO |
Kuwait’s best contribution came from Clinto Anto, who made 26. Yasin Patel added 19, but no other batter passed 11.
Winning Team Innings Analysis
Nepal’s 141/7 was not an overwhelming total by T20 standards, but the innings was carefully constructed around Bhurtel’s long stay.
Nepal lost Aasif Sheikh for only two runs and were 5/1 in the third over. Rohit Paudel then added 16, but wickets continued to interrupt Nepal’s progress. Kushal Malla and Sundeep Jora departed before the innings could develop a sustained middle-order partnership.
Bhurtel, however, remained at the crease. His 66 from 56 balls included three fours and three sixes. His role became particularly important because Nepal’s middle order did not produce a conventional large partnership.
The innings changed dramatically in the closing overs. Dipendra Singh Airee made 20 from 19 before being run out at 104/5, but Gulsan Jha then produced a remarkable six-ball cameo. His 20 from six balls came at a strike rate of 333.33 and included three sixes.
That late acceleration lifted Nepal to 141/7, a score that gave their bowlers something meaningful to defend.
Chasing Team Innings Analysis
Kuwait’s chase never developed the momentum required to stay close to Nepal’s target.
The opening phase immediately went Nepal’s way. Ravija Sandaruwan was dismissed for a duck in the fifth ball of the innings, and Meet Bhavsar followed at 20/2. Usman Patel then fell for another duck, leaving Kuwait at 21/3 after only 4.3 overs.
Clinto Anto offered resistance with 26 from 23 balls, but his run-out at 56/4 removed Kuwait’s leading scorer. Yasin Patel’s 19 was the next-best contribution, yet the required rate continued to become more difficult as wickets fell.
Kuwait slipped from 67/5 to 76/8, losing three wickets for only nine runs. They were eventually bowled out for 83 in 18.1 overs.
The 58-run defeat reflected more than a failure to accelerate. Kuwait lost wickets frequently enough that their batters never had the opportunity to build the long partnership needed for a successful chase.
Bowling Analysis
Nepal’s bowling was effective because wickets came throughout the innings rather than through one isolated spell.
Lalit Rajbanshi took 2/17 from four overs, while Sandeep Lamichhane returned 2/22 from four overs. Both provided control while also striking at important moments.
Rohit Paudel contributed 2/9 from two overs, an unusually economical spell that added pressure during Kuwait’s middle overs. Sompal Kami took one wicket for only three runs from two overs, while Nandan Yadav claimed one wicket for 11. Kushal Bhurtel also took a wicket late in the innings.
The combined effect was significant: Kuwait scored at only 4.57 runs per over, compared with Nepal’s 7.05.
Turning Point
The decisive phase came during Kuwait’s collapse from 67/5 to 76/8.
Kuwait had reached 67 after 11.3 overs and still had an opportunity to rebuild. Instead, wickets to Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi prevented any late partnership from developing.
Naveenraj Rajendran fell at 76/8, and Shiraz Khan followed at 82/9. Mohammad Aqif Farooq was then dismissed for one, ending Kuwait’s innings at 83.
The collapse demonstrated the difference between the two sides’ batting depth. Nepal had Gulsan Jha’s late hitting available; Kuwait had no comparable finishing burst.
Key Match Statistics
| Statistic | Figure |
| Nepal | 141/7 |
| Kuwait | 83 all out |
| Winning margin | 58 runs |
| Nepal run rate | 7.05 |
| Kuwait run rate | 4.57 |
| Kushal Bhurtel | 66 off 56 |
| Gulsan Jha | 20 off 6 |
| Clinto Anto | 26 off 23 |
| Yasin Patel | 19 off 27 |
| Lalit Rajbanshi | 2/17 |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | 2/22 |
| Rohit Paudel | 2/9 |
| Match points | Nepal 2, Kuwait 0 |
Records & Milestones
- Nepal’s 58-run victory was their most recent T20I win over Kuwait in the available head-to-head record.
- Kushal Bhurtel’s 66 made him the match’s leading run-scorer and earned him Player of the Match honours.
- Gulsan Jha’s 20 from six balls produced a strike rate of 333.33, the highest individual strike rate among the batters in the match.
- Kuwait’s 83 was their lowest total against Nepal in the four-match T20I head-to-head record shown by NDTV/Wisden.
Head-to-Head Record
After the October 8, 2025 match, Nepal led Kuwait 3-1 in their four recorded T20I meetings in the head-to-head data.
The recent sequence is particularly interesting:
| Date | Match | Result |
| 2025 | Nepal vs Kuwait | Nepal won by 58 runs |
| Apr. 13, 2025 | Nepal vs Kuwait | Kuwait won by 3 runs |
| Apr. 10, 2025 | Kuwait vs Nepal | Nepal won by 6 wickets |
| Earlier recorded meeting | Nepal vs Kuwait | Nepal won by 7 wickets |
The two April 2025 matches in Hong Kong were especially close in terms of scoring. Nepal chased 186/4 against Kuwait’s 185/7 on April 10, while Kuwait reversed the result three days later by defending 174/7 against Nepal’s 171.
What This Result Means
The October 2025 victory strengthened Nepal’s overall T20I advantage against Kuwait and, more importantly, demonstrated the value of their bowling depth.
Nepal did not need a huge total. Instead, they defended 141 through disciplined bowling and regular wickets. Kuwait’s inability to establish a substantial partnership after losing three wickets for 21 runs made the target increasingly difficult.
For Kuwait, the match highlighted a recurring challenge in this rivalry: competitive starts have not always translated into sustained batting performances. The 2025 head-to-head record shows that Nepal have generally had the upper hand, although Kuwait’s three-run victory in the April final proves the gap is not absolute.
Conclusion
The Nepal National Cricket Team vs Kuwait National Cricket Team rivalry has become an interesting contest in Associate cricket, with several matches decided by either strong chases or disciplined bowling.
The most recent meeting, on October 8, 2025, was controlled by Nepal. Bhurtel’s 66 anchored a 141/7 total, while Gulsan Jha’s explosive six-ball cameo provided the late impetus. Kuwait never found a stable response and were bowled out for 83.
The final 58-run margin gave Nepal two points and extended their T20I head-to-head advantage to 3-1.
The bigger takeaway is that Nepal did not rely on one match-winning department. Their batting created a defendable total, and their bowlers then attacked Kuwait consistently. That balance ultimately separated the teams.
