Nepal vs United Arab Emirates, 6th Match, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-up Matches 2026 This warmup clash on February 3, 2026, at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai pits Nepal against UAE at 5:00 PM local time (7:30 PM IST). Both teams are gearing up for the main T20 World Cup, making this a crucial test run.
Chepauk’s pitch offers a balanced contest, favoring pacers early with 38 wickets in the last five games versus 29 for spinners, though turn comes later. Average first innings score hovers around 158, with teams targeting 165-175; dew could aid chasing.
Expect warm, humid conditions at 29°C with minimal rain risk, ensuring a full game but challenging bowlers in the second innings due to dew.
These warmups sharpen strategies for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where both qualified—Nepal and Oman earlier, UAE clinching the final Asia/EAP spot over Japan. A strong showing boosts confidence ahead of group stages.
Nepal enters with solid recent T20I wins, like a 90-run thrashing of West Indies (173/6 vs 83) and high-scoring tri-series efforts despite some losses. Their qualification run featured Sandeep Lamichhane’s 10 wickets at 9.40 average.
UAE rides qualification momentum, beating Japan by 8 wickets (118/2 chasing 117) and Kuwait by 11 runs, with openers like Sharafu (46 off 27) shining. Recent Gulf T20I successes add edge.
Head-to-Head
In 10 T20Is, it’s level at 5 wins each.
NEP vs UAE Match Details
- Match: Warm-up Match
- Teams: Nepal vs United Arab Emirates, 6th Match
- Date: 03 Feb 2026
- Time: 4:30 PM
- Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium
T20 World 2026 Live Streaming Info
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off on February 7, 2026, and wraps up with the final on March 8, 2026. Hosted across India and Sri Lanka with 20 teams, it spans about a month—group stages from early February, Super 8s mid-month, semis late February/early March, and the final in Colombo or Mumbai.
- In India, tune into Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2) or stream on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema.
- Pakistan viewers can watch on PTV Sports, A Sports, or Ten Sports, with streaming available on Tapmad and Tamasha.
- For Sri Lanka, options include SLRC, Channel Eye, and Siyatha TV on TV, plus Sri Lanka Cricket YouTube and Dialog ViU online.
- UK fans have Sky Sports Cricket, TNT Sports 1, and talkSPORT on television, alongside Sky Go, Discovery+, and NOW TV for streaming.
- In South Africa, SuperSport covers it on TV and via their app.
- Australia might check Fox Sports for TV and Kayo Sports for live streams.
- USA and Canada: Willow TV on TV, Sling TV or Willow HD app for streaming.
- New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ on TV and Sky Go app.
- Bangladesh: Gazi TV (GTV) and Rabith BD app.
- Afghanistan: RTA Sport and Ariana TV.
Rest of the world: ICC.tv for free streaming where no local rights holder exists. Subscriptions often apply, and VPNs can assist with geo-blocks where permitted.
How to Watch the Match for Free:
Catch every boundary without paying via these official free options, perfect for fans in Pakistan and beyond.
Pakistan: PTV Sports broadcasts all matches live for free on TV via terrestrial, cable, and satellite—no subscription needed.
Live Streaming Info:
The 6th T20 will be live on TNT Cricket.
Live Score Info:
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: All matches on ESPN and Cricbuzz have live scores.
Nepal Analysis
Nepal’s strength lies in explosive batting from Kushal Bhurtel and all-rounders like Dipendra Singh Airee, paired with Lamichhane’s mystery spin (key in qualifiers). Weakness: occasional middle-order collapses in chases.
Recent momentum from big wins shows batting depth, with Aasif Sheikh’s keeping and Sompal Kami’s pace adding bite.
Probable XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Abinash Bohara.
UAE Analysis
UAE excels in aggressive opening by Muhammad Waseem (c) and Alishan Sharafu, with Junaid Siddique’s T20I wicket record and Haider Ali’s pace. Vulnerability: batting depth beyond top order, as seen in qualifier pressures.
They’ve built momentum from qualification triumphs, emphasizing seam in recent outings.
Probable XI: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Shoaib Khan, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawadullah, Simranjeet Singh, Muhammad Arfan, Hashit Kaushik.
Watch Lamichhane vs UAE openers on spin-friendly Chepauk, Airee’s all-round impact, and dew’s chase favoritism. Nepal’s home-like conditions in India could edge it, but UAE’s fresh qualifier high poses threat.
Prediction
Nepal edges it by 8-10 runs if batting first, leveraging spin and form on this balanced track— their recent dominance in head-to-heads and Lamichhane’s threat tips the scale over UAE’s batting firepower.