Hobart Hurricanes Academy face Nepal A in Match 12 of the Study NT Top End T20 Series 2026 in Darwin on Monday, August 24. The match begins at 3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / 7:00 PM ACST. FanCode lists the venue as Marrara Cricket Ground (MCG 2), while Cricket Australia’s Match Centre also identifies Marrara Cricket Ground for the fixture.
Both teams are still searching for their first win of the tournament. Hobart Hurricanes Academy have lost both of their games and sit seventh with a 0-2 record, -0.442 NRR and zero points. Nepal A are ninth after two defeats, with a -3.317 NRR and zero points.
Hobart have at least been competitive. They lost by five wickets after making 141/8 against Victoria Academy, then pushed Bangladesh High Performance to the final two balls after scoring 153/7. Nepal A have struggled more with the bat, posting 122/8 against NT Strike and only 99/9 against Bangladesh HP.
HHA vs NEP-A Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Hobart Hurricanes Academy vs Nepal A, Match 12 |
| Series | Study NT Top End T20 Series 2026 |
| Date | Monday, 24 August 2026 |
| Time | 3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / 7:00 PM ACST |
| Venue | Marrara Cricket Ground (MCG 2), Darwin |
| Format | T20, 20 overs per side |
| Captains | Anil Sah captains Nepal A. HHA’s Match 12 captain is not yet confirmed on the current match page; Tim Ward led the Hurricanes Academy against Bangladesh HP. |
| Points Table | HHA: 7th, 0 points, -0.442 NRR; NEP-A: 9th, 0 points, -3.317 NRR |
| Current Form | HHA: L, L. NEP-A: L, L |
| H2H | This is the first meeting between these exact Hobart Hurricanes Academy and Nepal A sides in the 2026 competition. |
The current FanCode squad confirms Anil Sah as Nepal A captain. Tim Ward captained Hobart Hurricanes Academy against Bangladesh HP on August 23 after Jake Doran had captained their opening match against Victoria.
Nepal’s senior side did beat Hobart Hurricanes Academy by 66 runs during the 2025 tournament, but that should not be counted as an HHA vs Nepal A head-to-head result because Nepal have sent an A team in 2026.
Dream11 Team for HHA vs NEP-A, Match 12
Top Picks for HHA vs NEP-A, Match 12
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kushal Bhurtel | NEP-A | C / Batter | The strongest Nepal batting pick on current form. He scored 46 from 40 balls against Bangladesh HP after being dismissed for a duck in the opener against NT Strike. |
| Rafael MacMillan | HHA | VC / All-Rounder | Excellent vice-captain option from the screenshot. MacMillan returned 2/21 from four overs against Bangladesh HP and also took a wicket while conceding only 18 runs in four overs against Victoria. |
| Bradley Hope | HHA | All-Rounder | Hope scored 34 against Victoria and 22 from 17 balls against Bangladesh. He also dismissed Ariful Islam when used as a bowler in the latest match. |
| Caelan Maladay | HHA | Batter/All-Rounder | Maladay took 2/36 from four overs against Bangladesh HP, giving him useful fantasy value beyond his batting role. |
| Shahab Alam | NEP-A | Bowler | Nepal’s most successful bowler in the Bangladesh defeat. He took their only wicket and had also scored 11 during Nepal’s first innings. |
| Teague Wyllie | HHA | Batter | The major omission from the screenshot. Wyllie smashed an unbeaten 78 from 53 balls against Bangladesh HP, easily HHA’s best individual batting performance of the tournament so far. |
Pawan Sarraf is another useful alternative from Nepal A. He made 41 from 49 balls against NT Strike and took both wickets during Nepal’s bowling innings. His all-round role gives him more routes to fantasy points than several specialist players.
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Marrara Cricket Ground (MCG 2), Darwin |
| Pitch Type | A surface that can provide pace and bounce, particularly with the newer ball. Batting becomes easier if players survive the early movement. |
| Recent T20 Average | One current ground model based on the last 10 T20s lists an average score of about 147 and a par range of 135-159. |
| Recent Tournament Trend | Several early Top End T20 games at Marrara have produced first-innings totals below 150, including 141, 132, 118 and 99. |
| Pace vs Spin | Pacers can use the bounce and carry, but slower bowling has also worked once the surface settles. |
| Toss Factor | Recent tournament matches at Marrara have strongly favoured chasing teams. |
A current Marrara analysis based on the last ten completed T20 matches lists a 147 average score and describes the ground as more bowling-friendly than batting-friendly.
The early Top End T20 results support that assessment. Hobart made 141/8 before Victoria chased it in 18.5 overs. ACT made 132/9 before the Kingsmen chased successfully, Adelaide Strikers Academy were dismissed for 118 before New Zealand A won by seven wickets, and Nepal A’s 99/9 was chased by Bangladesh HP in only 10.2 overs.
That makes 135-155 a realistic competitive range based on the tournament’s early Marrara games, although HHA’s 153 against Bangladesh also shows that a set batter can push the total higher. This range is an inference from the cited recent results rather than a fixed par score.
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Around 28°C at the 7:00 PM local start, easing towards 26°C later in the match. |
| Sky | Mostly clear to clear conditions are expected during the game. |
| Rain Chance | Very low. The Bureau of Meteorology gives roughly 0-5% rain probability through the evening. |
| Wind | Winds are expected to ease during the evening after being stronger in the afternoon. |
| Overall | Excellent conditions for cricket. A rain interruption looks unlikely based on the latest forecast. |
The Bureau of Meteorology expects Marrara to be mostly sunny through Monday with only a 10% daily rain chance. Its detailed Darwin forecast shows 0% rain around 6:30 PM and only 5% around 9:30 PM, with no measurable rainfall expected.
HHA vs NEP-A Toss Prediction
Bowling first is the stronger toss option based on the results seen at Marrara during the opening days of the tournament.
Victoria successfully chased HHA’s 141, the Kingsmen chased ACT’s 132, New Zealand A chased Adelaide’s 118 and Bangladesh HP raced past Nepal A’s 99.
There is little rain pressure on the toss decision because the evening forecast is dry. The bigger factor is the recent success of teams using the new ball first and then chasing relatively modest targets.
If the Hobart Hurricanes Academy captain wins the toss, bowling first looks sensible. HHA’s attack showed good wicket-taking depth against Bangladesh, with MacMillan and Maladay taking two wickets each and Bell, Hope and Nivethan Radhakrishnan claiming one apiece.
If Anil Sah (Nepal A) wins the toss, Nepal should also consider bowling first. Their batting has scored only 122 and 99 in the first two matches, so chasing a known target may relieve some pressure on Bhurtel, Sah, Malla and the rest of the batting unit.
Injury and Team News
Hobart Hurricanes Academy
Hobart Hurricanes Academy are seventh in the latest standings after losing both of their opening matches. Their -0.442 NRR is significantly better than Nepal A’s, but they still need a win to stay close to the top-four race.
Their tournament started with a five-wicket loss to Victoria. HHA made 141/8, with Bradley Hope top-scoring with 34. Tim Ward contributed 18 and Teague Wyllie made 22. Rafael MacMillan was excellent with the ball, returning 1/18 from four overs, but Victoria reached 145/5 in 18.5 overs.
HHA improved substantially in their second game. Teague Wyllie made an unbeaten 78 from 53 balls to lift the Hurricanes Academy to 153/7 against Bangladesh HP. They then reduced Bangladesh to 60/4 and later 114/6 before losing by three wickets with only two deliveries remaining.
Rafael MacMillan was the standout bowler with 2/21, while Caelan Maladay also took two wickets. Nivethan Radhakrishnan conceded only 15 from four overs and claimed one wicket.
There is no confirmed fresh injury withdrawal on the current Match 12 squad page. The main issue is team selection.
Billy Stanlake has been named in the squad but has not featured in either of HHA’s first two matches. He was on the bench against Bangladesh HP. His inclusion in the supplied Dream11 screenshot should therefore be treated as provisional until the official XI appears.
Key players: Teague Wyllie, Bradley Hope, Rafael MacMillan, Tim Ward, Nivethan Radhakrishnan and Gabe Bell.
Predicted Hobart Hurricanes Academy XI: Jake Doran (wk), Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Bradley Hope, Teague Wyllie, Tim Ward, Zac Curtain, Nitesh Samuel, Rafael MacMillan, Caelan Maladay, Gabe Bell, Kasey Barton/Billy Stanlake.
This prediction starts with the XI used against Bangladesh HP. Stanlake is the obvious possible change because he remains in the squad and some current fantasy previews expect him to return.
Nepal A
Nepal A have suffered two convincing defeats and currently sit at the bottom of the nine-team table with a 0-2 record and -3.317 NRR.
They scored 122/8 against NT Strike in their opening match. Pawan Sarraf made 41, Lokesh Bam scored 16 and Narayan Joshi added 15, but Nepal lost by eight wickets as NT Strike completed the chase in 15 overs. Sarraf claimed both wickets.
The second match was even tougher. Bangladesh HP reduced Nepal to 13/5 and eventually restricted them to 99/9. Kushal Bhurtel fought back with 46 from 40 balls, but no other specialist batter reached double figures. Bangladesh then chased 100 in only 10.2 overs.
Shahab Alam took Nepal’s only wicket in the chase. Rijan Dhakal, Bipin Khatri, Bhurtel, Sarraf and Aakash Chand were the other bowling options used.
Anil Sah remains captain of the 15-player Nepal A squad. CAN selected Kushal Bhurtel, Lokesh Bam, Kushal Malla, Pawan Sarraf, Trit Raj Das, Rashid Khan, Narayan Joshi, Aakash Chand, Shahab Alam, Bipin Khatri, Rijan Dhakal, Mayan Yadav, Yuvraj Khatri and Dipak Dumre alongside Sah for the Darwin tournament.
There is no confirmed new injury absence reported ahead of Match 12. Nepal’s main concern is batting form rather than availability.
Key players: Kushal Bhurtel, Pawan Sarraf, Anil Sah, Kushal Malla, Shahab Alam and Lokesh Bam.
Predicted Nepal A XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Trit Raj Das, Anil Sah (c, wk), Kushal Malla, Lokesh Bam, Pawan Sarraf, Narayan Joshi, Bipin Khatri, Shahab Alam, Rijan Dhakal, Aakash Chand.
This is the same XI Nepal A used against Bangladesh HP and remains the safest predicted combination unless they decide to rotate after two defeats.
Fantasy update: Kushal Bhurtel is a well-supported captain choice after scoring 46 in a difficult batting performance against Bangladesh. Rafael MacMillan is also a strong vice-captain after taking three wickets across HHA’s first two matches while maintaining good economy. The biggest player to recheck before locking the supplied Dream11 team is Billy Stanlake, because he has been in the HHA squad but has not played either of their first two matches. Teague Wyllie’s omission from the screenshot is also notable after his unbeaten 78 against Bangladesh HP.
