T20 World Cup 2028 Asia Qualifier: Bahrain go top of standings after chasing 189 against Kuwait

Bahrain defeated Kuwait by six wickets in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub-Regional Qualifier A match on Friday, completing a successful chase of 189 at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval in Bangi, Malaysia.

The victory took Bahrain to the top of the seven-team standings with eight points from four points. Bahrain are in second place with six points from four matches.

After winning the toss, Bahrain elected to field and restricted Kuwait to 188/7 in 20 overs before reaching 189/4 in 19.2 overs to secure victory. The result came in the 11th match of the Men's T20 World Cup qualifying tournament for the 2028 edition.

Kuwait's innings was built around a 38-ball 78 from Muhammad Umar, who struck five fours and seven sixes. Ali Zaheer also contributed with 44 off 32 deliveries, including four fours and a six, as the pair helped Kuwait post a competitive total.

Kuwait lost their first wicket when Adnan Idrees was dismissed for eight in the fourth over, with Imran Khan taking the wicket. Clinto Anto followed for seven, caught by Imran Khan off Ali Dawood's bowling, leaving Kuwait at 21/2.

Ravija Sandaruwan made 20 from 21 balls before being dismissed leg-before-wicket by Asif Javed, reducing Kuwait to 59/3 in 8.4 overs.

Zaheer and Umar then helped rebuild the innings. Zaheer was bowled by Ali Dawood for 44, while Umar continued to pile up runs before being caught by Abdul Majid off Imran Khan for 78. Both batters were dismissed in the 18th over, with Kuwait at 167/4.

Dawood bowled Meet Bhavsar for a first-ball duck; Yasin Patel made three before being caught and bowled by Shujaat Rasool. Bilal Tahir remained unbeaten on 16 from seven deliveries, hitting three fours, as Kuwait finished on 188/7.

Dawood was Bahrain's most successful bowler, taking three wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Imran Khan claimed two wickets for 30 runs, while Asif Javed and Rasool took one wicket apiece.

Bahrain lost an early wicket in their run chase, with Patel removing Prashant Kurup for three in the third over. However, Asif Ali (89) and Fiaz Ahmed (32) then forged a 57-run stand for the second wicket, setting the platform for Bahrain. Skipper Ali’s knock of 89 consisted of 10 fours and four sixes.

Bahrain were unperturbed even after Ahmed’s dismissal in the 10th over, as Junaid Aziz slammed 32 runs from 21 deliveries before being dismissed in the 14th over.

Aziz’s dismissal left Bahrain in a spot of bother at 122/3, but Ali kept the scoreboard ticking with Ahmer Bin Nasir (20 not out) at the other end.

Ali was dismissed in the 19th over, leaving Bahrain at 180/4, but Bin Nasir and the new batter in Imran Anwar (8 not out) ensured that their team crossed the finish line with four deliveries to spare.

PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.