NEP vs ITA Prediction Match 17- Who will win today? ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Nepal vs Italy, T20 World Cup 2026 will be played on Feb 12 [Source: 1984zkid, DanielCherny/X.com]

Nepal will face Italy in Match 17 of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday, February 12, just days after a remarkable performance against England at the Wankhede Stadium. The match between the Nepalese and Italians will be played at the same venue at 3 PM (IST). The Europeans will eye their first-ever win in the tournament after debuting against Scotland.

In their first match against the 2022 champions, Dipendra Singh Airee was their star all-rounder, alongside crucial contributions from Lokesh Bam, Nandan Yadav and Rohit Paudel across departments. Having fallen just 4 runs short of England, they will carry huge confidence against Italy to open their points tally for the tournament.

In the absence of captain Wayne Madsen, who dislocated his shoulder just 4 overs into the tournament, Italy look for the senior pro like JJ Smuts to step up with both bat and ball and inspire them to a historic win. The Manenti and Mosca brothers will also have crucial roles to play in the face-off against the Asians.

NEP vs ITA current form (Last 5 T20Is)

The Italians have only managed one win in their last five matches, which came against Ireland during their preparatory tour of the UAE. On the other hand, the Asians had won four consecutive matches before falling short against England on Sunday.

NEP vs ITA player battles (3 battles)

Justin Mosca vs Karan KC

Despite a golden duck on his T20 World Cup debut, the right-handed opening batter Justin Mosca is among their explosive batters at the top. With a career strike rate of 144, he can take the game away from the opposition at a quick pace. He will be up against Karan KC in the powerplay, and with 106 T20I wickets, he knows how to trouble the openers early in the innings.

Dipendra Singh Airee vs JJ Smuts

Dipendra Singh Airee is famous for scoring 6 sixes in an over previously and has a reputation for scoring quick runs in the middle overs. His ability with the bat was on display against the English spinners, where he took on Adil Rashid, Will Jacks and Liam Dawson. JJ Smuts’ left-arm orthodox will be a good match-up against him, and how Smuts fares against Airee will be key for the Italians.

JJ Smuts vs Sandeep Lamicchane

In the absence of captain Wayne Madsen, the responsibility of the middle order will be on JJ Smuts, who can score quick runs in the middle overs. He also got 22 runs at a strike rate of 200 in the last match, and the key Nepal bowler Sandeep Lamicchane knows how to contain runs and get breakthroughs in the middle overs.

He bowled a crucial spell of 1/25 against England, and Nepal will be expecting something similar from him against Italy, where Smuts is likely to play in the middle-overs. Whoever wins this battle gives their team a great chance in the match.

NEP vs ITA top performers (among current players)

The two teams have never faced each other in T20I cricket. Hence, there is no previous head-to-head record available.

NEP vs ITA toss prediction

Historically, the Wankhede Stadium is a good venue to chase scores due to the flatter surface and smaller boundary dimensions, as it was evident in the ENG vs NEP clash. The same could be expected in the afternoon game on Thursday, with no dew on offer due to the timings. The team winning the toss would ideally like to bowl first.

NEP vs ITA 1st innings score prediction

Powerplay- 55/1

Final score- 182/7

NEP vs ITA 2nd innings score prediction

Powerplay- 60/2

Final score- 185/6

NEP vs ITA top players prediction

NEP top players' prediction

Probable best batters

Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel

Probable best bowlers

Karan KC, Sandeep Lamicchane

ITA top players prediction

Probable best batters

Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts

Probable best bowlers

Ali Hasan, Benjamin Manenti

Who will hit the most sixes in NEP vs ITA Match 17?

Lokesh Bam

Who will score the most boundaries in NEP vs ITA Match 17?

JJ Smuts

NEP vs ITA match winner prediction: Who will win Match 17?

Based on the factors like familiarity with the venue and surface, and experience at the world stage, it seems like Nepal heads into the match with an edge over the T20 World Cup debutants.

Throughout the qualification campaign, Italy has shown their quality to beat the higher-ranked opposition, but with the captain out and the support that Nepal will have in the stadium, they might need to wait for their first win.