T20 World Cup: Nepal fans light up Wankhede despite painful England loss

Mumbai, India — Long after the final ball had been bowled and England’s two-time champions had escaped with a one-run victory, the Wankhede Stadium still pulsed to a Nepalese beat. Drums thudded, red-and-blue shirts swayed in unison, and a banner reading Feel the Thrill fluttered above a stand that felt closer to Kathmandu than to the Arabian Sea. On a warm, breezy Sunday, Nepal’s cricket team may have fallen agonisingly short of a historic upset, yet their supporters ensured the day belonged to them anyway.

From the first over to the last, the 33,000-seat arena was transformed into a pocket of the Himalayas. Children with flags painted on their cheeks chased one another through the concourses; elderly men adjusted the peaks of their Dhaka topi hats to keep the sun from their eyes; every boundary, dot ball and wicket was greeted by a roar that rolled around the concrete bowl like monsoon thunder. “Mumbai is our second home now,” grinned Bhuvan Rawal, a 26-year-old gym trainer who spent three days on a bus from Tikapur, in Nepal’s far west, to be here. Rawal estimated that 200-300 fellow Nepalese had made the same overland pilgrimage after circling the match date on calendars since the fixture list was released last year.

On the field, the Rhinos gave their travelling choir every reason to believe. Asked to chase 185 against an England side dripping with pedigree, Nepal’s batsmen answered with the fearless brand of cricket that has become their trademark. Captain Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee launched a calculated assault on the middle overs, and when Lokesh Bam cleared the rope twice in the final over, the equation came down to two runs off the last ball. A yorker, a dot, and the dream dissolved; yet the narrow margin only amplified the pride swelling through the stands.

“We almost won but couldn’t go through because the players lack experience,” said Subodh Dhakal, a Kathmandu doctor who flew in with his wife for a 48-hour whistle-stop visit. “Experience will come with time, but the team played well.” Dhakal, who follows the domestic Nepal Premier League closely, views Sunday’s heart-stopper as another milestone in a rapid ascent: five months ago Nepal toppled the West Indies 2-1 in their first bilateral series win over a full ICC member, and in 2024 they came within a run of shocking South Africa at the same tournament.

Satyam Pokhrel, another supporter who made the short flight from Kathmandu, plans to stay in Mumbai for Nepal’s remaining three group-stage fixtures, all scheduled at Wankhede. “Nepal had a really good chance, but were unlucky,” he said, voice hoarse from chanting. “The match was very close; I’m proud of the team. They showed great energy and are capable of winning the upcoming games.”

For the players, the ovation at the presentation ceremony must have felt like a victory lap. For the fans, it was confirmation that their team—ranked 18th in the world—belongs on the sport’s biggest stage. “We may be a small country, but Nepal is very beautiful and can play wonderful cricket,” Rawal insisted. “No team is too small to challenge the giants.”

As dusk settled over the city and the last Nepalese flag was folded away, the message from Wankhede was unmistakable: the scoreboard gave England the win, but the day, the noise and the colour belonged to Nepal.