Scotland vs Nepal Match Prediction – ICC Cricket World Cup 2026 Analysis

Cricket fans are gearing up for Match 33 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which sees Scotland take on Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India on 17 February 2026. Both teams have fluctuated in form throughout the tournament and will be looking to finish their group campaigns strongly. This article provides a professional, fact-checked match preview and prediction, drawing from recent performances, head-to-head history, and key player analyses.

For full fixtures, team updates, and official coverage of the tournament, you can visit the ICC T20 World Cup official page here:
👉 https://www.icc-cricket.com

Team Form and Tournament Progress

Scotland’s T20 World Cup Form

Scotland’s campaign in the 2026 T20 World Cup has been a mixed bag. They have shown flashes of power with strong batting performances — such as their 73-run win over Italy, scoring 193/5 in that match — but have also suffered setbacks against stronger teams like West Indies. Scotland’s batting occasionally faltered at critical moments, as seen in their loss to the West Indies. Overall, the team’s balance between batting firepower and bowling discipline determines how competitive they can be in this tournament.

One positive for Scotland is that George Munsey has been a standout performer. Munsey has consistently scored runs in recent T20 internationals and tends to give Scotland’s innings a strong backbone. Richie Berrington, another key batter, has a reliable run of form — he has scored at least 15 runs in each of his last six T20I innings with a healthy average.

Nepal’s World Cup Journey

Nepal has been one of the surprise performers in this T20 World Cup edition. In their group matches, they have shown fighting spirit and have produced competitive performances, especially with both bat and ball showing decent balance. Their batting lineup — led by players like Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam — has been aggressive, scoring at a respectable boundary rate. According to tournament stats, Nepal batters are among the few associate teams with good boundary rates, although they have struggled to consistently convert starts into large totals.

Nepal’s bowling has been mixed — while they log a high rate of dot balls, which is a positive indicator, their bowling attack lacks the penetration of some opponents. Nonetheless, disciplined bowling and tactical execution have helped Nepal stay competitive in most of their T20I fixtures in this World Cup.

Head-to-Head History: Scotland vs Nepal

Scotland and Nepal have met a few times in recent T20 history, and their contests have generally been balanced:

In June 2025, during the Scotland T20 Tri-Series, Scotland defeated Nepal by 34 runs at Glasgow, with a dominant batting display followed by disciplined bowling.
In contrast, Nepal won their earlier T20I meeting by two wickets in Glasgow in June 2025, showing their ability to fight back in tight games.

The head-to-head record suggests one win apiece between the sides in recent T20 matchups, underscoring the competitive nature of this clash. Furthermore, data from recent editions shows that Scotland have had slight success against Asian opponents overall, while Nepal has also grown significantly as a competitive associate side.

Key Players to Watch

Scotland

George Munsey

Munsey has been Scotland’s most consistent batsman in this tournament and recently registered substantial scores that helped Scotland post competitive totals. His aggressive batting style makes him a real threat in the top order.

Richie Berrington

The Scotland captain brings experience and stability. His recent scoring consistency provides the team with solid grounding during critical overs.

Michael Leask

Leask has been effective with the ball in the tournament and could make an impact with his all-round capabilities — bowling at crucial middle overs and chipping in with useful runs.

Nepal

Dipendra Singh Airee

Airee’s aggressive batting style and ability to clear boundaries quickly make him one of Nepal’s most dangerous players, especially in the powerplay and middle overs.

Lokesh Bam

Bam is emerging as a reliable run-scorer, with a high proportion of his runs coming from boundaries. His striking ability can help Nepal accelerate quickly.

Sandeep Lamichhane

Although not always consistent, Lamichhane’s leg-spin can be crucial in controlling scoring rates and inducing mistakes from batters — especially in middle overs.

Tactical Considerations and Pitch Conditions

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is traditionally seen as a batting-friendly venue, with short boundaries and a surface that assists stroke-making. Recent data suggests that teams batting first at Wankhede have found success, as setting a big total often pressures the chasing team under lights.

Scotland’s boundary rate — scoring boundaries every 5.5 balls — is one of the better rates among associate teams in this World Cup, and this bodes well for them if they bat first and post runs. Meanwhile, Nepal’s average of one boundary every 7.2 balls shows they can score quickly but might need to build partnerships to maintain momentum.

Fielding and catching statistics also favour Scotland slightly — their catching accuracy sits close to 95%, compared to Nepal’s 83%, which could make a difference in tight moments where chances in the outfield need to be seized.

Prediction: Edge to Scotland, but Nepal Can Shock

Based on the current form, head-to-head balance, and statistical insights, Scotland are slightly favoured to win this match. Many analytical platforms give Scotland around 61 % probability of victory, primarily because of their balanced batting, effective bowling options, and fielding strength.

However, Nepal cannot be discounted — they have shown the ability to compete against strong teams, and with players like Airee and Bam in form, they could upset Scotland if they execute their game plan with discipline. The match is likely to be competitive, and a high-scoring affair is on the cards given the batting conditions at the Wankhede ground.

Predicted Outcome: Scotland likely to win in a competitive encounter.

Scotland vs Nepal Match Prediction