Ahead of the India A vs. Pakistan A clash on Sunday, another Group A match was played between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nepal in the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026. UAE Women’s captain Esha Oza was influential in the team’s victory over Nepal, defeating them by 18 runs. With the win, the team takes the No. 1 spot in Group A with four points and a net run rate of 0.611, while Nepal sits in the bottom with zero wins.
For UAE Women, the start of the first innings was a bit off as they lost three wickets in the powerplay, including the early loss of the opener. Theertha Satish (1 off 8), Samaira Dharnidharka (0 off 2), and Rinitha Rajith (4 off 11). However, it was their captain, Esha, with her brilliant run of 125 runs off 63 balls, that managed to add the majority of the runs to the target. Meanwhile, batter Heena Hotchandani made her valuable contribution of 45 runs off 38, going undefeated. UAE ended their innings at 189/4.
The Nepal Women batters saw a decent run from the starting lineup, with only one wicket lost in the powerplay of Bindu Rawal (16 runs off 18). However, the half-centuries from Samjhana Khadka (58 runs off 39 balls) and skipper Puja Mahato (53 off 35) took the team further ahead in the game. But the remaining batting lineup struggled to get the team to the finishing line.
Sita Rana Magar (22 runs off 15) and Roma Thapa (9 off 4) remained undefeated in the end, while Kabita Kunwar (7 off 7) and Rubi Poddar (4 off 2) failed to add runs. Suraksha Kotte and Heena Hotchandani were the top bowlers, securing two wickets each, while Indhuja Nandakumar added one to restrict Nepal Women to 171/5 in the second innings.
In the opening fixture, Nepal Women lost their match to Pakistan A Women’s team by 30 runs. The team is currently placed last in the Group A table rankings with zero points and a net run rate of -1.200. Meanwhile, the UAE Women defeated India A in their first group stage match by seven wickets.
So far, India and the UAE Women’s teams are in the top two of the Group A table. Only the two teams from each group, including A and B, will qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026.
