$5 Million and a Dream: Why Nepal Could Be Cricket’s Next Giant

Nepal's rapid rise in cricket has caught the attention of the International Cricket Council, with ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta identifying the Himalayan nation as one of the game's most promising emerging cricketing markets.

The ICC has invested nearly $5 million in Nepal's cricket development over the last two years, while the country has also been awarded co-hosting rights for the 2027 Under-19 Women's World Cup. Gupta believes the combination of a rapidly improving player pool, growing international performances and an exceptionally passionate fanbase gives Nepal the potential to become a major force in world cricket.

Gupta said Nepal could follow a path similar to Afghanistan, or potentially even New Zealand, as it develops into a more established cricketing nation.

"They could be tomorrow's Afghanistan, or tomorrow's New Zealand for that matter," Gupta told Reuters.

The comparison reflects the ICC's growing belief that Nepal's significance to cricket extends beyond its commercial potential.

Why Nepal has emerged as a cricketing nation to watch

Nepal is not among cricket's major commercial markets, but Gupta believes its appeal lies elsewhere.

The country has developed an increasingly competitive group of players who are progressing through the ICC's development pathways and making their presence felt at major international tournaments.

"They have developed an elite player pool which is consistently breaking through the ICC pathways and not only featuring at our marquee events, but proving that they belong on the global stage," Gupta said.

That progression has been accompanied by a level of public enthusiasm that has made Nepal one of the more distinctive emerging cricket communities.

For the ICC, that combination is important. A growing player pool provides the competitive foundation, while an established fanbase can help sustain the sport's development and create the next generation of players.

"Fans today are also the players of tomorrow," Gupta said.

$5 million ICC investment underlines Nepal's potential

The ICC has backed that potential with significant investment.

Nearly $5 million has been pumped into Nepal's cricket development over the past two years, supporting the country's continued progression through the international cricket structure.

The investment comes at a time when Nepal are beginning to make a more regular presence at major ICC events and establish themselves as a competitive associate nation.

Gupta stressed that the ICC's interest in Nepal was not driven by the size of its commercial market, but by the quality of its development and the scale of its following.

"Not because the country is a significant commercial market, but because of their rapidly improving standards of performance and the scale of fandom the sport enjoys in the country," he said.

T20 World Cup victory showcased Nepal's fanbase

One of the clearest demonstrations of Nepal's cricketing popularity came at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India.

Gupta singled out Nepal's match against Scotland at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium as one of his personal highlights of the tournament, pointing to the thousands of Nepal supporters who turned the stands into a sea of red.

The result added to the significance of the occasion.

Nepal defeated Scotland by seven wickets to record their first victory at the T20 World Cup since 2014. While both teams had already been eliminated from the competition, the match provided a powerful illustration of the support Nepal can generate on the global stage.

For a country still developing its cricket infrastructure and player base, the atmosphere around the team offered a glimpse of what its long-term potential could look like.

2027 U19 Women's World Cup another step forward

Nepal's development will also receive a major boost through its involvement in the 2027 Under-19 Women's World Cup.

The ICC has awarded Nepal co-hosting rights for the tournament, giving the country an opportunity to stage a major global women's cricket event while further developing its infrastructure and visibility.

It also represents an important step in expanding the sport beyond Nepal's established men's cricket following.

For the ICC, the tournament provides another pathway through which the country's growing interest in cricket can be translated into participation and elite development.

Could Nepal follow Afghanistan's path?

The Afghanistan comparison is particularly significant.

Afghanistan went from an emerging cricket nation to a team capable of competing consistently against the world's best, with the country's rise fuelled by a strong domestic passion for the sport and the emergence of an elite group of players.

Nepal have yet to reach that level, and Gupta was not suggesting that their trajectory is guaranteed.

But the ingredients are increasingly visible: a passionate audience, players progressing through international pathways, regular appearances at ICC events and growing investment in the country's cricket infrastructure.

The New Zealand comparison is perhaps an even broader indication of what Gupta believes Nepal could eventually become - a nation whose cricketing significance far exceeds its commercial size.

For now, Nepal remain a work in progress.

But with nearly $5 million of recent ICC investment, a growing pool of international-level players, the opportunity to co-host a global women's tournament and supporters willing to fill stadiums thousands of kilometres from home, the foundations for something bigger are increasingly difficult to ignore.

Nepal may not yet be the next Afghanistan or New Zealand.

But the ICC increasingly believes they could be on the way.