SATV, Kathmandu, Feb. 16 - Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel on Sunday admitted that batting failures were the chief reason behind his side’s exit from the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Nepal bowed out of their third World Cup campaign after suffering three straight defeats in Group C. Their latest loss came against two‑time champions West Indies, who cruised to a nine‑wicket victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

“As a batting unit, we failed again. We are missing out on partnerships. We are getting stands of 20 or 30 but not stretching them,” Paudel said. “Those of us getting starts are not converting them into big scores. Those are the areas where we need to improve.”

Put in to bat first, Nepal were restricted to 133 for eight in their 20 overs. They slumped to 73 for six in 15 overs before vice‑captain Dipendra Singh Airee and Sompal Kami carried them past three figures. Airee and Kami added 54 for the seventh wicket before Airee holed out to Jason Holder in the 19th over, leaving Nepal 127 for seven.

Airee’s fluent 58 from 47 balls, with three fours and three sixes, was his 11th T20 international fifty and made him only the second Nepali player to reach a half‑century in a World Cup. Subash Khakurel was the first, against Afghanistan in Bangladesh in 2014. 

Paudel praised his deputy’s effort: “He took his time and played very well. He accelerated at the end, but early on when the wicket was difficult, he managed to wait for his opportunity and then cashed in. We all need to learn from that.”

Kami, making his first appearance of this tournament, contributed an unbeaten 26 from 15 balls. With it, he became the first player to represent Nepal in three T20 World Cups, having featured in 2014 and 2024. He replaced Sher Malla in the line‑up. 

Reflecting on the campaign, Kami said: “We know that as a team we can perform better than this. But we failed to give our hundred per cent in the field. Especially, the loss against Italy was very hard to digest. We lost against South Africa, Bangladesh and England, but against Italy was very heartbreaking.”

Nepal’s innings began poorly, losing opener Kushal Bhurtel for a single in the first over. Paudel followed for five in the fourth. Asif Sheikh (11), Aarif Sheikh (2), Lokesh Bam (13) and Gulshan Jha (11) all departed cheaply, leaving Airee and Kami to mount resistance.

Holder returned figures of four for 27 and was named player of the match. The West Indies chased down the target with ease, finishing on 134 for one in 15.2 overs. 

Captain Shai Hope struck an unbeaten 61 from 44 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes, while Shimron Hetmyer added 46 not out from 32 deliveries. The pair shared an unbroken stand of 91 for the second wicket. Brandon King contributed 17 before falling to Nandan Yadav in the sixth over.

With three successive wins, West Indies became the first team to qualify for the Super Eights, while Nepal became the second side eliminated after earlier defeats to England and Italy. West Indies lead Group C with six points, England are second with four, and Scotland and Italy each have two. Nepal remain winless, with only Tuesday’s match against Scotland left to play, a contest now reduced to a battle for pride.

Coach Stuart Law had warned on Saturday that social media was affecting the players’ performance. Paudel echoed his view, urging his squad to block out external noise. “If players listen to it, it will be hard for them to perform. When the team is losing, it is vital to keep everyone positive, and we are trying to do that,” he said.