The spotlight shifts to Mumbai as Nepal takes on World Cup debutants Italy in a crucial Group C encounter. Nepal enters this match with a point to prove; they nearly pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset in their opener, falling just 4 runs short of chasing 185 against England. Led by Rohit Paudel, the “Rhinos” are riding a wave of momentum and global admiration, having firmly established themselves as the “giant killers” of the associate world.

For Italy, this match is about finding their feet on the big stage. Following a tough 73-run loss to Scotland, the Azzurri need a win to keep their hopes alive. While they possess experienced campaigners like JJ Smuts and the Manenti brothers, they face a Nepal side that is deeply familiar with Indian conditions and backed by a massive, passionate fanbase in Mumbai.

NEP vs ITA, T20 World Cup 2026: Match Details

• Date and Time: February 12; 3:00 pm IST / 9:30 am GMT
• Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

NEP vs ITA, Head-to-Head Record

Nepal and Italy have not yet faced each other in T20Is.

Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report

The red soil track offers true bounce and pace, allowing batters to play through the line with confidence. While the ball comes onto the bat nicely, recent stats show that spinners have been more successful (31 wickets vs. 26 for pacers in the last 5 games). As batters target the short boundaries, variations in pace and flight often lead to mistimed shots. Since this is a 3:00 PM start, the dew factor—which usually plagues evening games in Mumbai—will be largely irrelevant for the first innings. However, the track may become even better for batting as the sun sets during the second innings. Expect a high-scoring affair; the average first-innings total here is hovering around 180–190.

Also READ: Fans react as England survive massive Nepal scare in dramatic last-over T20 World Cup 2026 win

Squads:

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Basir Ahamad, Sundeep Jora, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sompal Kami

Italy: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti, Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian Meade (wk), Crishan Kalugamage, Thomas Draca, Ali Hasan, Wayne Madsen (c), Jaspreet Singh, Marcus Campopiano, Syed Naqvi, Zain Ali

NEP vs ITA, T20 World Cup 2026: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Nepal wins the toss and bowl first
• Italy powerplay score: 35-45
• Italy total score: 130-140

Case 2:

• Italy wins the toss and bowl first
• Nepal powerplay score: 40-50
• Nepal total score: 160-170

Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Nepal pacer Nandan Yadav left speechless by Dale Steyn’s heartwarming message after England thriller

Image Credit: TOI Bengaluru/X

BENGALURU: A US-returned techie, desperate to raise funds for a new venture, has been arrested on charges of murdering his parents at their villa in Vignan Nagar, near HAL township, in east Bengaluru Wednesday.Naveen Chandra Bhat, 60, a retired navy captain, and his dentist-wife Shyamala Bhat, 55, were residing in Adarsh Vista. The accused is their son Rohan Chandra Bhat, 33. Based on early investigations, police said he repeatedly stabbed his parents around 8am following heated arguments with them.Hearing the commotion, neighbours rushed to the villa and shifted the seriously injured couple to Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road. Doctors declared them brought dead. Dr Madhavi Nair, a neighbour and a doctor working with Manipal Hospitals, filed a complaintwith HAL police.

According to a senior police officer, Rohan worked as a software engineer in the US and returned to Bengaluru three years ago. Details of his overseas employment and the reasons for his return are yet to be ascertained.A police officer said, “Rohan, a bachelor, was doing projects independently and wanted to scale. He reportedly had anxiety issues. When he found it difficult to raise capital for the projects conceived by him, he started pressuring parents to financially support his projects. The aged couple claimed helplessness stating they were not in a position to meet his demands.

Techie was living separately after frequent quarrels

This led to frequent quarrels. Some time ago, Rohan shifted to a rented accommodation in Varthur.”Police said Rohan came to the villa Monday night and demanded money from his parents. “The fight escalated by Wednesday morning,” the officer said.Police took Rohan into custody and produced him before a court.“We are yet to question him. His sister, who lives in the US and has been informed of the tragedy, will arrive in Bengaluru by Thursday. The bodies were shifted to Bowring Hospital. Autopsy will be conducted after their daughter’s arrival,” police said.

MEERUT: It was meant to be a picture-perfect wedding — a constable set to marry a fellow constable in a match arranged by their families. Invitations had gone out, preparations were complete, and the stage was set for the ceremony.Then, on Saturday, a night before the wedding, the 25-year-old bride-to-be, Sandhya Bhardwaj, vanished.Bhardwaj, who hailed from Akbarpur Sadat village in Meerut’s Bahsuma region, walked out of her home and disappeared. Unaware of her whereabouts, her father, Subhash Sharma, approached police on Sunday, alleging that Ankit Chauhan, 28, a history-sheeter facing nine criminal cases, including robbery and murder, had abducted his daughter. He said she had taken 20 days’ leave for her wedding to Atul Sharma, a constable from Muzaffarnagar, and had returned home from her posting at the cyber police station in Aligarh.“On Feb 5, Chauhan threatened the groom over the phone, saying he would kill him if he married my daughter. On Saturday night, he abducted her,” Sharma alleged in his complaint. An FIR was subsequently registered against Chauhan under BNS sections 87 (kidnapping) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).Police traced Bhardwaj within eight hours to Buxar in Meerut. When questioned, however, the case took a dramatic turn. She denied being abducted and told police she had left of her own accord. Investigators said Bhardwaj had known Chauhan for the past few years. “She met him during visits to her aunt’s house in Dhikoli village, from where Chauhan hails,” said Mawana circle officer (CO) Pankaj Lavania.Chauhan’s record, police said, includes several cases of loot and murder. Last May, he was arrested following a police encounter in connection with a liquor shop robbery and was recently released on bail.As the stunned groom called off the wedding, the bride remained firm, asserting her right to choose, even if her choice stood in stark contrast to the uniform she wears. SP (rural) Abhijeet Kumar said she would soon be produced before a court.

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India’s Ishan Kishan grimaces in pain after getting injured during a practice session (PTI Photo)

Ishan Kishan continued to look in ominous touch during India’s training session on Wednesday before a searing Jasprit Bumrah yorker cut his stint short. Bumrah, operating at full intensity for the second consecutive day, offered encouraging signs for the Indian camp after missing the T20 World Cup opener against the USA. However, Kishan was left in discomfort after being struck on the foot by one of Bumrah’s trademark deliveries. The wicketkeeper-batter limped away from the nets following the blow. Though he briefly returned to resume batting, his session did not last long.

There was more positive news surrounding Bumrah, who appears in line for a return to the playing XI against Namibia. The fixture is expected to serve as preparation for the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. “Bumrah is absolutely fine now. He’s doing better. As I said, we still have one more day, so hopefully he’ll be back in the team. If he continues to improve, the team management will take a call, and I think he could be back for the second game,” Tilak Varma said on the eve of the match. Bumrah also participated in catching drills after completing his bowling spell. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, who has been out of the side due to poor form, could be in contention if Abhishek Sharma fails to recover from a stomach infection. Abhishek was hospitalised after arriving in Delhi but was discharged on Wednesday. “We still have one more day before the game, so hopefully we’ll decide by tomorrow how he feels and then move forward accordingly,” Tilak added. Samson was among the batters who spent quality time in the nets. A fully fit Washington Sundar contributed with both bat and ball, while Suryakumar Yadav stayed back to take numerous selfies with DDCA officials. Kuldeep Yadav and Rinku Singh also obliged fans and officials, making it an evening filled with photographs alongside preparation.

NEW DELHI: Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the govt Wednesday of “completely surrendering” India’s core data, food and energy interests in the trade deal, in a sharp attack in Lok Sabha on PM Modi who, he alleged, had caved in to pressure due to the leverage that country has over him.Participating in the discussion on the Budget, Gandhi began his speech with mention of the concept of grip and chokehold players are taught in martial arts to floor rivals and then used the metaphor to target Modi in the US’s handling of him. Gandhi’s condemnation of the interim pact as a sellout of national interest was the theme of his speech.‘Farmers left to mercy of mechanised US farms’Rahul said the data of 140 crore Indians is the country’s most valuable asset, while the nation needs to secure its energy and food interests in these turbulent times.The LoP’s controversial references to a convicted child sex offender in the US, two Indian businessmen and Bharat Mata as he sought to corner govt was met with resistance from treasury benches and were expunged from records.He alleged that minister Hardeep Puri had introduced an Indian businessman to the child sex offender, and the files released by the US govt mention their names. The Chair asked him not to level the allegations.Rahul Gandhi’s condemnation of the interim trade pact as a sellout of national interest was the theme of his speech, hitting the BJP-led NDA govt on a plank which it has practically owned since coming to power in 2014.He alleged, “The most valuable asset (data) of India has been handed over. Our farmers have been left to the mercy of mechanised American farms. Our textiles have been wiped out. Our energy security has been handed over. We cannot buy oil from who we want to buy it from. This is a wholesale surrender.”Unlike Modi’s and NSA Doval’s assertion that it is not an era of war, Rahul said the world is in fact “moving into an era of war and instability” amid intensifying geo-political conflicts. Dollar’s supremacy is being challenged and world is moving away from the era of one superpower, he said.While the budget recognises these challenges, including the weaponisation of energy and finance, it offers no future pathways, he said, before turning to the agreement to hit out at govt.He alleged the deal has compromised security in all three critical things needed to run a modern country: data, food supply and energy.