Preview: England vs Nepal - T20 World Cup group game prediction, squads, venue, start time

England will start their bid to win a third Men's T20 World Cup when they take on Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday.

The tournament represents England's first major assignment since the disappointing 4-1 defeat to Australia in the 2025-26 Ashes.

Fifth Test preview

England are set to kick off their T20 World Cup campaign just a month after they completed a forgettable Ashes tour down under.

The fallout of the 4-1 defeat and the events surrounding the tour have continued to make headlines in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, particularly Harry Brook's altercation with a nightclub bouncer the day before an ODI against New Zealand in the build-up to the Ashes.

Brook publicly apologised and insisted he was out alone after the revelation came out following the end of the Ashes series, only for it to be later revealed that Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue were with him on the night of the incident.

While off-field events have made headlines, Brook has enjoyed a successful period as white-ball captain, having overseen ODI and T20 series wins in Sri Lanka.

They completed a series whitewash with a 12-run victory in Tuesday's final T20 against Sri Lanka, who are sharing hosting duties for the World Cup with India.

The 3-0 series win will give them hope that they can replicate their T20 World Cup-winning campaigns from 2010 and 2024.

In fact, England have won 10 of their 11 completed T20S since Brook was appointed the country's whiteball captain in April last year.

Given their strength in the format, England will be heavy favourites to top a group that features West Indies, Nepal, Scotland and tournament debutants Italy.

However, coach Brendon McCullum is fully aware that his team need to do a lot more than progress from the group stage if he is to alleviate some of the scrutiny on his position following the Ashes debacle.

Nepal, meanwhile, are competing in just their third T20 World Cup after featuring in Bangladesh in 2014 and the USA and West Indies in 2024.

They won all seven games in last year's Asia-Pacific Regional Final to qualify for the 2026 competition, progressing alongside Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Nepal know they will have to spring a surprise to secure a top-two spot in Group C, although their hopes of reaching the Super Eight stage have been boosted by Bangladesh's decision to withdraw from the tournament.

Their replacements, Scotland, will be seen as more beatable opponents, but it remains to be seen whether Nepal will still be in with a chance of a top-two position by the time they face Richie Berrington's side in their final group game.

Nepal have warmed-up for the tournament with a couple of positive results, beating the UAE by seven wickets before claiming a six-wicket win over Canada on Thursday.

Squad News

England opening batter Phil Salt should be fit to feature despite missing the final match of the T20 series with Sri Lanka due to a back spasm.

Star bowler Jofra Archer was rested for Tuesday's game, and it remains to be seen whether he will play on Sunday or be held back for Wednesday's match against West Indies.

Adil Rashid, who took his 150th T20I wicket in the series against Sri Lanka, is the pick of England's bowlers and will likely be a key factor in their bid to achieve World Cup glory.

While Brook is set to lead his country in a major tournament for the first time, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel already knows what the demands of the role entail after being in charge for his country's campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Wicket-keeper Aasif Sheikh, who is set to open the batting, should be in a confident mood after knocking 58 off 29 balls in Wednesday's warm-up win over Canada.

Sandeep Lamichane has plenty of franchise experience under his belt, and as his country's leading wicket taker in T20s, he will need to be on form if his country are to compete with England on Sunday.

England squad:

Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (wk), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood.

Nepal squad:

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

Where will England vs Nepal be held?

The match will take place at the Wankhede Stadium, which is the home to the Indian Premier League franchise, the Mumbai Indians.

England played at this venue on two occasions in the last T20 World Cup held in India in 2016, which saw them lose to the West Indies and beat South Africa in the Super 10 stage.