NEW DELHI: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It is a proverb so weathered by time it often feels like a cliché, yet for the burgeoning cricketing nation of Nepal, it remains a North Star. Writing on his blog, the American author James Clear, famous for his work, “Atomic Habits”, takes the adage further: “I think it’s better to remember the other side of this story: Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.“For Nepal, the latest brick arrived in the form of a bank transfer. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that $256,154 would be funnelled into the accounts of the Cricket Association of Nepal from the 2026 T20 World Cup prize pool. While the sum may seem meagre to the giants of the sport, it exceeded the earnings of established associates like Namibia, Canada, and Oman.
“Actually, Rome is just the result; the bricks are the system,” Clear further notes. “The system is greater than the goal.”Nepal’s recent campaign was a study in the “Jekyll and Hyde” nature of a rising power. There was the heartbreak of a four-run loss to England on their opening matchday, two back-to-back humblings against Italy and West Indies, and an eye-catching seven-wicket victory over Scotland.
Nepal’s players greet supporters after their victory in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match against Scotland at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)
But as the dust settles on their third World Cup appearance, a question still lingers in the air. How does a nation fueled by the world’s most passionate fans turn “almost” into “always”?
The Jekyll and Hyde of the global stage
To understand Nepal’s performance, one must look past the scorecard. For Umesh Patwal, the former head coach of Nepal, the tournament was about making a statement that transcends participation.
If we can get people like Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Airee, or Rohit Paudel to start finishing games, that gap will close. They do not have enough match-winners at the higher level yet.
Umesh Patwal | Former Nepal coach
“I always feel that to make a statement, you have to win a match,” Patwal tells TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive conversation. “People only follow the champions. They finished very well in the last game on a very high note, which is a great thing.”However, the “hurdle” remains the final inch. Nepal came within the barest of margins of upsetting South Africa in their 2024 campaign and pushed England to the brink this time.According to Patwal, the missing ingredient isn’t talent, but the clarity of roles in high-pressure moments.“Sometimes it’s just about knowing who needs to take that extra effort to finish the game,” Patwal explains. “They are not sure who is supposed to be the match-winner. Once they start believing, like Sandeep [Lamichhane] is supposed to be the main bowler, and then the batting must follow. If we can get people like Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Airee, or Rohit Paudel to start finishing games, that gap will close. They don’t have enough match-winners at the higher level yet.“
Nepalese cricket fan cheer after their team won against Scotland during the T20 World Cup cricket match in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Gyanendra Malla, the former captain and a titan of Nepali cricket, shares this bittersweet sentiment.“I was expecting a bit more, actually,” Malla admits. “After the first match, expectations were very high. We couldn’t show our 100% potential in the middle games, but the way we played the first and last match, that is the brand of cricket we want to show the world.”Meanwhile, Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel was, on the one hand, disappointed but he called it a good exposure for his team. “I think good exposure, good experience playing in this World Cup. We wanted to qualify for the second half, but unfortunately we could not do that. So hopefully next time,” he told reporters after Nepal’s historic win against Scotland. He added: “It took us 12 years to win a World Cup game. I’ll place it higher.”
We need a longer season. The school cricket and domestic base should be a seasoned culture, not just a 15-day tournament. We need to work on multi-day formats. That is how you build game awareness.
Gyanendra Malla | Former Nepal captain
The Nepalese structure: From Districts to Departments
If the “system is greater than the goal”, Nepal’s system is a unique, tiered architecture that relies heavily on institutional support. Nepal’s talent pipeline is filtered through provinces and government “departments”.The journey begins at the sub-district level, where local teams compete in regional tournaments. From this grassroots pool, the promising talents are selected for their district teams. These district teams then face off within their respective Provinces. The standout performers from these intra-province clashes are eventually directed into a selection pool, from which the final provincial teams are formed to compete in the Prime Minister (PM) Cup.The PM Cup is the undisputed crucible of Nepali cricket. It is a ten-team national league featuring seven provincial sides and three “departmental” giants: the Army, the Police, and the Armed Police Force (APF).
Nepal players stand up for the national anthems before the start of the match during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
These departments act as the unofficial guardians of the sport, providing salaries and stability to players who might otherwise be forced to seek labour abroad.Those who emerge from the PM Cup are summoned to national training camps, where raw talent is honed, and the final squad for the national team is distilled.Nevertheless, the current structure is too short. “We need a longer season,” Malla insists. “The school cricket and domestic base should be a seasoned culture, not just a 15-day tournament. We need to work on multi-day formats. That is how you build game awareness.”
Most of the players are actually working as police or army, but not full-time. For the top tier, they earn enough to look after their families. But for the district players, they are actually putting their own money in. They are investing in themselves.
Gyanendra Malla | Former Nepal captain
The money gap: passion vs profession
In Nepal, cricket is a religion and its priests are often underpaid. While the top 15 to 20 players under central contract earn a “good enough” living by local standards, the story for the rest of the pyramid is one of sacrifice.“Most of the players are actually working as police or army, but not full-time,” Malla says. “For the top tier, they earn enough to look after their families. But for the district players, they are actually putting their own money in. They are investing in themselves.”
Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel plays a shot during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Nepal and Italy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 12, 2026. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)
This financial precarity often forces players to seek revenue elsewhere, leading to friction with management over “distractions” like social media.During the World Cup, head coach Stuart Law directed players to reduce their focus on social media. Patwal, however, views this as a survival mechanism.“Social media is a part of these guys because they don’t make any money,” Patwal says bluntly. “When I was there for two years, we didn’t get a single penny paid as a salary. In a country like Nepal, the only way for these guys to be seen as heroes and get across is through the media. I’m happy for them if they are making some money through it.”
The “champion mindset” Nepal is lacking
What is the next brick? For Patwal, it’s not just about playing more matches; it’s about changing the “environment”. He argues that playing against big teams is useless if you don’t understand how they think.“I don’t think just playing international matches helps. How long have New Zealand or South Africa been playing? Have they won the World Cup?” Patwal asks. “We have this poor mentality where we think playing makes you a cricketer. You have to be in the culture. My advice is that at least six of these players should be exposed to the IPL or the Big Bash.”
If someone like Sanju Samson needs that help, you can understand the struggle for these Nepalese players. They do not have those local heroes to model themselves after, the match-winners who have actually been there and done it.
Umesh Patwal | Former Nepal coach
Patwal believes that even if players like Rohit Paudel or Dipendra Airee don’t make the starting XI in the IPL, “just being with the team, seeing the training part, the eating habits, the sleeping habits, that is a big churn out.”“Even Sanju Samson (Player of the Tournament in T20 World Cup 2026) credited Sachin Tendulkar for his performances,” Patwal adds.“If someone like Samson needs that help, you can understand the struggle for these Nepalese players. They don’t have those local heroes to model themselves after, the match-winners who have actually been there and done it.”Malla echoes the sentiments of Patwal and believes Nepal’s geography is its greatest untapped resource.
Nepal’s Kushal Bhurtel plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and Scotland in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
“We are blessed to have four Test-nation neighbours, but we are not using that as a strength,” Malla says. “Playing regularly against India’s ‘A’ or ‘B’ sides, or even Ranji Trophy teams, would help our boys learn the thinking pattern of the big guys. We need help from the BCCI to grow as a nation and eventually become a Test nation ourselves.”
A new identity unfolding
For decades, Nepal’s global identity was tied strictly to its geography, the soaring peaks of the Himalayas and the bravery of the Gurkhas. Today, that identity is shifting.
They have the skill. They were the best runners between wickets, the best fielding side. They just need to sit among champions. Once they do, the finishing will come.
Umesh Patwal | Former Nepal coach
“Before this, Nepal was renowned only for mountains,” Malla says with a smile. “Now, the new identity is cricket. It is uniting all the people, even through our sorrows. It’s the next big thing for our country.”
Poll
What do you think is the biggest challenge for Nepal’s cricketing success?
The bricks are being laid, hour by hour.The prize money from the ICC will likely go toward the “bricks” of better nets and local travel, but the “Rome” of Nepal cricket, a Test-playing nation with a world-beating finish, requires something more.“They have the skill,” Patwal concludes. “They were the best runners between wickets, the best fielding side. They just need to sit among champions. Once they do, the finishing will come.”
