Dipendra Singh Airee named T20I captain as Nepal split white-ball leadership

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Apr 17, 2026

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) have named Dipendra Singh Airee as the new T20I captain, with Rohit Kumar Paudel retained as ODI skipper, ahead of Nepal’s home series against the United Arab Emirates later this month.

Dipendra Singh Airee will lead Nepal in T20 internationals for the first time, becoming the fifth player to captain the national side in international cricket after Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane and Rohit Kumar Paudel.

Nepal will host the United Arab Emirates for a two-match T20I series on April 20 and 21 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, the first home internationals to be played under floodlights. The series will be followed by ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 fixtures against the United Arab Emirates and Oman from April 25 to May 5 at the same venue.

The T20I squad features several changes, with Santosh Yadav earning a maiden call-up on the back of strong domestic performances, while Hemant Dhami also receives his first T20I selection. Senior players Rohit Kumar Paudel, Asif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Karan KC and Lalit Rajbanshi are among those omitted.

In the ODI squad, Arjun Kumal earns his maiden call-up after a standout PM Cup season in which he scored over 500 runs, the most by any batter in a single edition. Wicketkeeper-batter Binod Bhandari also returns to the ODI setup.

Binod Bhandari last played an ODI for Nepal during the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Scotland in July 2022 against Scotland. His most recent international appearance came in a T20I against Papua New Guinea in March 2024.

Hemant Dhami and Sher Malla, two of the standout performers in the ongoing PM Cup, have been included only in the T20I squad and named among the ODI reserves.

Squads

T20I squad: Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahmad, Gulshan Jha, Lokesh Bam, Nandan Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Arjun Saud, Hemant Dhami, Shahab Alam, Sher Malla

Reserves: Pratish GC, Narayan Joshi, Rashid Khan

ODI squad: Rohit Kumar Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee (vc), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahmad, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Binod Bhandari, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Kumal, Karan KC

Reserves: Hemant Dhami, Sher Malla, Rijan Dhakal, Ishan Pandey, Dev Khanal