Nepal’s men’s national cricket team is aiming to create another piece of history in the ACC Premier Cup. Nepal will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final of the third edition of the tournament in Malaysia on Saturday.

A victory over the UAE would make Nepal the first team to win the ODI-format ACC Premier Cup for a second consecutive time.

Nepal won the inaugural 50-over ACC Premier Cup held on home soil in 2023. The 2024 edition was played in the T20 format, where Nepal reached the semifinals but finished fourth. The UAE won that edition after defeating Oman in the final.

Chance to Repeat 2023 History

Nepal defeated the UAE by seven wickets in the final of the inaugural tournament in 2023. The Nepali team will now look to repeat that success and claim the ODI-format Premier Cup title for the second time.

The UAE has also been impressive in the ongoing competition. It won all four of its group-stage matches before defeating Hong Kong by seven wickets in the semifinal to secure its place in the final.

Nepal also delivered strong performances during the group stage, winning three matches apart from its game against Hong Kong. Its bowling was particularly impressive in the semifinal against Oman. After scoring 147 runs, Nepal bowled Oman out for just 60 runs to secure an 87-run victory.

The UAE is considered Nepal’s toughest opponent in the tournament. Former Nepali cricketer Dipendra Chaudhary believes Nepal will need a strong game plan to overcome the UAE in the final.

Chaudhary has also highlighted the importance of the pitch at the final venue. He believes a spin-friendly pitch would give Nepal an advantage and could increase its chances of winning to around 70 percent.

He also emphasized the importance of Nepal’s top-order batting. According to him, a strong performance from the opening pair could significantly improve Nepal’s chances of lifting the trophy.

The UAE squad includes many relatively new players, while Nepal’s players have greater international experience. Chaudhary believes Nepal should use that experience to its advantage. Nepal’s bowling and fielding have been strong, and improved batting could be decisive in the final.

Nepal vs UAE Head-to-Head Record

Nepal and the UAE have faced each other 19 times in One Day Internationals. Nepal has won 11 of those matches, while the UAE has recorded eight victories.

Nepal has won three of its last five ODI matches against the UAE. The two sides most recently met in May during an ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 series.

Nepal won that match by six runs. In the first match of the same series, Nepal also defeated the UAE by 37 runs.