The female cricket landscape in Nepal is clearly changing with increased engagement, better facilities, and international involvement. What was a fledgling sport for women in Nepal has now gained some traction which has been led by female athletes, support (by way of facilities) from the governing bodies, and greater fan engagement. The Nepal Women’s National Cricket Team, known as “Rhinos”, demonstrate this growth and continue to try to establish their presence in regional and international games.
Women’s Cricket is an avenue of empowerment for Nepal. Female cricket creates a new opportunity for female athletes to thrive, represent their country’s interests, and create pathways for upcoming female athletes to follow. The next two years, leading into 2025 will be a pivotal point in the team’s history with upcoming volume of Nepal women’s team fixtures that will challenge skills, build experience and opportunity to improve their positions in ICC cricketing ranking. This article will explore the Nepal Women’s National Cricket Team and below are a few things to look at; the 2025 squad, next year Nepal women’s team fixtures, past performance, standout performers, and where they are at in the cricketing world.
Nepal Women’s National Cricket Team Squad 2025
The Nepal women’s national cricket team (Nepal women’s cricket team squad 2025) comprises a blend of experienced players and some energetic youngsters itching to play. Although official squads differ for specific tournaments, conditions and the variations for squad inclusion in the form of permits, player subscriptions, and opt-outs, the base level of players generally remains constant overall.
Key players and likely squad members of the come 2025 are:
- Indu Barma (Captain): Indu Barma, continues to lead the side with astute captaincy and contributions with bat and ball as an all-rounder. The make-up of the playing styles Indu Barma exhibits will play a role as well.
- Sita Rana Magar: Sita Rana Magar, a consistent batter and useful bowler is a linchpin of the Nepali batting order; she is good at constructing innings.
- Rubina Chhetri: Rubina Chhetri, an aggressive batter and valuable wicket-taker, she brings considerable experience and power to the team. Her all-round capablities will be invaluable for success for Nepal.
- Puja Mahato: A young and talented player, Puja has the potential to become a prominent player for Nepal with her aggressive batting. This prospect is further emphasized by her innings of 62* in the Tri-Nation series and we are excited to have her as part of our cricket set-up. She also recently captained the U19 team at the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2025.
- Manisha Upadhayay: A young bowler making a swift impact with her wicket-taking ability. She has shown her quality and potential in big matches, and has a very bright future ahead.
- Kabita Kunwar: A young bowler making an impact with her wicket taking abilities. Kabita Kunwar has contributed in a big way to bowlers of Nepal.
- Samjhana Khadka: An entertaining aggressive batter who scored a blistering 72* at the Asia Cup 2024 showing her destructive capacities with a bat in hand.
- Alisha Yadav (Wicketkeeper): A consistent wicketkeeper and batter, and an integral part of the team.
- Talent and opportunity have allowed other athletes to develop such as Bindu Rawal, Ishwori Bist, Kabita Joshi, Roma Thapa, Rajmati Airee, Mamta Chaudhary, and Rachana Chaudhary.
The mix of experience and young developed players is aimed at developing a strong system that will develop athletes capable of reaching the elite level.
Upcoming Nepal Women’s Team Fixtures for 2025
The 2025 calendar for Nepal women’s team fixtures has already seen some considerable activity, and with more international engagements expected. Additionally, a memorable occasion was the playing of the 2025 Nepal Women’s Tri-Nation Series hosted in January and February 2025 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, with the Netherlands and Thailand.
Possible Future International Fixtures (later 2025 and beyond):
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025 (Ongoing/upcoming): Nepal is participating in this qualifier, that will determine qualification to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at the Global level. The specific dates and opponents for the future world cup qualifying are part of a longer qualification pathway.
- Bilateral Series: The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is currently working to have more agreed and arranged bilateral series v other associate nations and possible full member nations to create more international exposure and consistent high-level competition.
- Regional Tournaments: Nepal will continue to have the opportunity to participate in regional tournaments conducted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). These tournaments are critical to Nepal continuing its regional dominance and maintaining competitive edge.
- ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2025: Thailand qualified to the Asia Cup in 2025 from their group based on the Nepal Tri Series results. Nepal will aim to qualify for future editions based on their current performances.
Fans should always stay updated with the ICC, ACC, and CAN official websites for the most current schedule changes, as more matches may be added or adjusted.
Recent Nepal Women’s Team Results
As the Nepal women’s team results have shown recently, this is a team that is learning and developing at all times and is often punching above their weight. Though they were challenged by playing higher caliber opponents than they are used to in the Tri-Nation series in early 2025 against Thailand and Netherlands, it is hard to measure the value of playing stronger opponents in front of their home fans in terms of their development.
Of note, one of the great moments for the Nepal women’s team as a group was achieved in May 2025, when they qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier after beating the UAE in the Super Three Stage of the Asia Qualifier. Achieving this long-held aspiration was a significant milestone for the players to proclaim that their individual and team development was real.
In addition to these great wins, there have also been other positive results:
- Women’s Asia Cup 2024: After a historical first Asia Cup win against UAE in which Samjhana Khadka scored 72*, secured their first historic gain of being able to claim they are an Asia Cup winner.
- ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025: The Nepal U19 women were able to compete at their first U19 Women’s T20 World Cup under the captaincy of Puja Mahato. This was another important milestone for women’s cricketers in Nepal. They even scored a substantial victory against the tournament hosts Malaysia in their campaign.
These results, in particular the qualifying for global events, demonstrate the progress made by women’s cricket Nepal 2025.
Standout Nepal Female Cricket Players to Watch in 2025
Several Nepali female cricket players are making headlines and are definitely worth watching in women’s cricket Nepal 2025 for their skills and contributions to the team.
- Indu Barma: The current Nepal women’s national team captain needs to bring awareness on the field as well as off the field. The all-rounder has valuable performances, where she stabilizes the innings or takes key wickets.
- Puja Mahato: The young all-rounder had sensational form, mainly with the bat. Her aggression when she plays and her ability to accelerate run scoring means she is going to be a player to watch. She provides the fastest runs for Nepal in the Tri-Nation series with 134 runs.
- Sita Rana Magar: Sita Rana Magar is a consistent top-order batter and an accurate disciplined bowler who has experienced success at the elite level for the last several years. Her experiences were visible when she faced pressure. Sita Rana Magar was successful with her bowling with a performance of 5/12 against Netherlands in the Tri-Nation Series.
- Rubina Chhetri: The veteran is still a match-winner with bat and ball. She can put pressure by scoring runs quickly with the bat and/or breaking partnerships. Rubina made it exciting for the audience and dreadful for her opponent.
- Samjhana Khadka: Her half-century in the Asia Cup for Nepal demonstrates her capability as a solid batter capable of anchoring an innings or accelerating at will.
These two and other emerging players are taking the international experience and have now become the foundation for the aspirations of the women’s national cricket team in Nepal.
Nepal Women’s Team in ICC Rankings
The Nepal women’s team has actively sought to improve its ICC standings. Though none of the rankings are permanent and can easily be changed or fluctuated with any playing schedule against another nation, it is clear that the Nepal women’s team using the opportunity of “playing any match” is making their mark and moving up with each series or tournament. At the moment, the Nepal women’s T20I ranking is around 20th, with their highest ever ranking 14th (27 Feb 2019). With Nepal women’s team competing in qualifiers and series with higher-ranked teams, they have the opportunity to continue towards increasing their ranking and improving their status on the World stage. It will be critical however to achieve continued and consistent results against other Associate Nations and strong opposition against some Full Members.
Growth of Women’s Cricket in Nepal
The rise of women’s cricket has been truly uplifting in Nepal. From the 2007 ACC Women’s Tournament in Malaysia, where women’s cricket made its international debut, women’s cricket has grown in leaps and bounds in terms of participation and infrastructure.
- More Girls Playing Cricket: As the performance of the national women’s team continues to go up and people see more women playing cricket on television, more young girls are encouraged to play cricket at the grassroots level.
- More Professional Opportunities: The recent achievement of qualifying for the Global Qualifier, and the increased number of international matches, are critical exposures and opportunities to play professionally for female cricketers in Nepal.
- More Media Coverage and Public Support: The success of the Nepal women’s national cricket team has drawn great media interest in the sport and tremendous public support, domestically and internationally. This media interest creates better opportunities to garner sponsorship and investment in women’s cricket moving forward.
- Youth Development Programs: Prolific youth development programs, exemplified by the U19 team qualifying for the World Cup, ensure that a strong system of future players exists for the players at the national level.
Betting on Women’s Cricket in Nepal
The exhilarating performances of the Nepal women’s national cricket team have certainly increased the interest in the game, including some conversations around betting. While sports betting can be exciting and enticing because of the possibility of being able to predict outcomes, it’s important to know the rules and regulations pertaining to legally betting in Nepal.
What does Cricket Betting mean?
Cricket betting means that you can place bets on different aspects of a cricket match. The most popular markets in cricket betting nepal are as follows:
- Match Winner: This is the bet that the user will select which team they think will win the game.
- Top Batter/Bowler: This is when a user predicts which batter will score the most runs, and which bowler will take the most wickets.
- Over/Under Totals: This is when betting on the total runs in either the innings or the match and whether it will go over or under a specific number.
Where to Bet on Nepal Matches:
If you are a cricket fan in Nepal and you want to bet on the Nepal cricket team then a reputable online sports betting platform would be your safest and best bet. 8MBets Nepal is a platform that services the cricket betting Nepal market to afford a wider range of cricket betting options. If you want to do cricket betting, you can go to 8mbetscasinonp.com. When selecting an online betting platform, it is always good practice to choose one that is licenced, secure, has a good range of betting markets available for matches involving Nepal as well as taking all punters’ safety and security very seriously.
Conclusion – Support Nepal’s women’s cricket and place your bets securely on 8MBets!
The women’s national cricket team of Nepal is currently at a critical point in their history. So far in 2025, we have seen them show that they are proving to be no push overs, from their strong results at their Tri-Nation Series against fully professional international teams, and now their team in place for qualification tournaments for ICC global events. They have a core group of players available to them and a group of younger talent coming in, who have proved invaluable and become involved with the senior squad. The prospects for women’s cricket in Nepal is bright, as long as the cricket community continues to support them, continues to invest in them, and the public interest endures, Nepal can push through to the next level, establishing themselves as a stronghold in the women’s international cricket landscape. The cricket journey is still on-going and the ‘chelis’ can be confident of writing many more glorious days into Nepal’s rich sporting history.
FAQs About Nepal Women’s National Cricket Team
Who are the present Nepal women’s national team captain?
The one currently leading as the Nepal women’s national team captain is Indu Barma.
What was the main international competition for the Nepal women’s side at the start of 2025?
The main international competition for the Nepal women’s side at the start of 2025 was the 2025 Nepal Women’s Tri-Nation Series, with the participants being Netherlands and Thailand.
Has the Nepal Women’s Cricket Team just qualified for major international tournaments?
The Nepal women’s national cricket team has secured qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier following their victory during the Asia Qualifier in May 2025. Additionally, the U19 side also successfully booked its spot in the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2025.
Which players were found to be the notable batters for the Nepal Women’s side for the 2025 season?
The players to watch for the 2025 season include Indu Barma, Sita Rana Magar, Rubina Chhetri, Puja Mahato, and Samjhana Khadka, who all showcased brilliant performances in the last tournaments.
How has women’s cricket evolved in Nepal?
The growth of women’s cricket in Nepal has been due to multiple reasons, such as increased grassroots activities, more professional opportunities as a consequence of access to international games, more publicity and wider public support, and more international tournaments being organized, and all these have added to its popularity.
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