NAGOYA, Japan : Nepal beat Afghanistan by five wickets in their opening Group A match at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Friday after restricting their opponents to 102-7.
Afghanistan, batting first at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, struggled to build momentum as Nepal’s bowlers kept control of the innings. Lalit Rajbanshi and Kushal Bhurtel took three and four wickets respectively.
Nepal reached their target of 103 in 17.2 overs, with Sundeep Jora top-scoring with 34 from 35 balls.
Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 33 from 32 balls, while captain Dipendra Singh Airee added 15 from 18 as Nepal completed the chase with five wickets in hand.
The result gives Nepal an early boost in Group A and puts them in contention for a place in the quarter-finals.
Nepal will now look to build on their opening victory as the group stage continues at the Asian Games.
