Nepal have announced their 15-member squad for the Asian Games 2026, and there is a familiar name at the top of the team sheet. Record-breaking all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee will captain Nepal in the men’s cricket competition in Japan.
Airee replaces Rohit Paudel as Nepal’s T20 captain and will lead the side at a major multi-team tournament for the first time. The appointment adds another interesting chapter to the career of a player who became a global cricket headline during the previous Asian Games.
In 2023, Airee produced one of the most astonishing power-hitting performances in T20 cricket when he smashed a half-century from just nine balls against Mongolia. He finished unbeaten on 52 from 10 deliveries, hitting eight sixes. That innings broke Yuvraj Singh’s 16-year-old record of a 12-ball T20I fifty.
Now, three years later, Airee returns to the Asian Games as Nepal’s captain.
Dipendra Airee gets the biggest responsibility
The decision to hand the captaincy to Airee is one of the biggest talking points from Nepal’s squad announcement.
He has already led Nepal during the 2026 Asian Games T20I qualifiers, giving the team management an opportunity to assess him in the leadership role before the main tournament. The 29-year-old now gets the chance to captain Nepal against some of Asia’s strongest cricket nations.
The Cricket Association of Nepal’s senior squad list identifies Airee as a right-handed batter and off-break all-rounder, underlining the value he brings in more than one department.
His leadership will be particularly important because Nepal have selected a squad that combines experienced international players with younger options.
The team includes established names such as Sandeep Lamichhane, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh.
That gives Nepal plenty of international experience as they prepare for another appearance on the Asian Games stage.
Kushal Malla returns to the squad
One of the other major stories from the announcement is the return of Kushal Malla.
Malla was not part of Nepal’s T20 World Cup squad but has returned to the side for the Asian Games. His selection is significant because he remains one of Nepal’s most dangerous T20 batting options.
Malla was already part of Asian Games history in 2023. Against Mongolia, he smashed an unbeaten 137 from only 50 balls, reaching his century in just 34 deliveries. At the time, it was the fastest century in men’s T20I cricket.
That extraordinary innings came in the same match in which Airee smashed his nine-ball fifty.
Nepal eventually posted 314/3, becoming the first men’s team to score more than 300 in a T20 international, before bowling Mongolia out for 41 and winning by 273 runs.
With both Airee and Malla back in the Asian Games squad, Nepal will once again have two players closely associated with one of the most remarkable T20 matches ever played.
Nepal have picked plenty of experience
Nepal have not gone for a completely experimental squad.
The selection includes experienced campaigners such as Sandeep Lamichhane, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh and Aarif Sheikh.
Lamichhane remains a key part of Nepal’s bowling attack, while Karan KC and Sompal Kami provide experience with the ball and lower-order batting ability.
The squad also includes Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav, Lokesh Bam, Sundeep Jora and Sher Malla.
Sher Malla is another player worth watching. He made his T20I debut against England at the 2026 T20 World Cup and has now been selected for Nepal’s Asian Games campaign.
According to the ICC’s official squad listing, Nepal’s 15 players are Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Rohit Kumar Paudel, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Lokesh Bam, Sundeep Jora, Sher Malla and Kushal Malla.
Interestingly, Bashir Ahmad, who featured for Nepal at the T20 World Cup, has not been included in this squad.
When will Nepal play at Asian Games 2026?
The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 3 in Japan.
Nepal are among the teams entering the competition before the quarter-final stage. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have direct quarter-final places, while Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman are involved in the earlier stage.
Nepal’s opening match is scheduled against Afghanistan on September 25, followed by a clash against hosts Japan on September 26.
The tournament will be played in and around the Aichi-Nagoya region, with cricket forming part of Japan’s biggest-ever Asian Games sporting programme.
The Japan Cricket Association has also confirmed Asian Games cricket activity in Japan, with the men’s event beginning on September 24.
Can Airee repeat his 2023 magic?
That is the question Nepal fans will be asking.
Nobody expects a nine-ball fifty every time Airee walks to the crease. His 2023 innings was an extraordinary piece of T20 hitting, and the record remains one of the most talked-about performances in the format.
What makes this Asian Games campaign different, however, is that Airee is no longer simply one of Nepal’s explosive players. He is now the captain.
That means his responsibilities will extend beyond his own batting and bowling. He will have to manage a squad containing experienced players, younger talent and several players who have already performed on the biggest stages available to Nepal.
The presence of players such as Malla, Lamichhane, Karan KC, Sompal Kami and Aasif Sheikh means Nepal have plenty of players capable of changing a game.
The challenge will be converting that individual talent into consistent team performances.
Nepal’s complete Asian Games 2026 squad
Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Rohit Kumar Paudel, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Sandeep Lamichhane, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi and Sher Malla.
For Nepal, the Asian Games represent another opportunity to showcase how far their cricket has developed.
And with the man who once smashed a fifty in nine balls now carrying the captain’s armband, there is already a fascinating storyline before a single delivery is bowled.
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