Nepal lost to England in the opening match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. .

Nepal lost to the twice World Cup winner by four runs. Losing the game with a narrow margin, Nepal missed the opportunity to set a record in Nepal's cricket history.

Chasing the target of 185 runs, Nepal managed  to score 180 runs in 20 overs by losing six wickets.  

For Nepal, Deependra Singh Airi contributed the highest 44 runs with six fours and a six. 

Likewise, Captain Rohit Poudel and Lokesh Bam made 39 runs while Kushal Bhurtel gathered 29 runs. 

As Arif Sheikh made 10 runs, the other batters could not contribute the runs in double digits. 

Ashif Sheikh made seven runs and Gulsan Jha was out in one run. 

Winning the toss, England chose to bat first and made 184 runs in 20 overs by losing seven wickets. 

England's Liam Dawson took two wickets.

For bowling, Deependra Singh Airi and Nandan Yadav took two wickets each while Sher Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane took one each. 

This is Nepal's third participation in the T20 World Cup. Nepal were eliminated in the group stage in the previous two World Cups, including in the previous edition held in 2024 in USA/West Indies.

This is the first time that Nepal are playing against England. 

Nepal are ranked 16th in the T20 rankings, while England is ranked third. 

Nepal are in Group 'C' of the tournament along with England, the West Indies, Italy and Scotland.

Nepal are scheduled to face Italy in its second game on February 12.