Cricket · Nepal Premier League
NPL 2026: The Story of Nepal's Cricket League
A final rematch on opening day, a team haunted by two lost finals, and a league only three seasons old. Here is the story of NPL 2026 so far.
Cold open: a rematch in Kirtipur
The third Nepal Premier League opened on 26 October 2026 with the same two teams that had played the last final: Lumbini Lions and Sudurpaschim Royals.
It was over fast. Sudurpaschim were bowled out for 87 in 17.2 overs. Lumbini needed just 9.5 overs to reach 88 for 3 and win by seven wickets, and Sher Malla was named player of the match.
For Sudurpaschim it was a familiar feeling. They had lost both previous NPL finals, and the second of them, to these same Lumbini Lions, had ended almost the same way. That is where this story starts: one ground in Kirtipur, eight teams, and a league that is only three seasons old but already has rivalries.
Why the NPL matters
The NPL gives Nepal's fast-rising national team something it never had: a professional league at home, with world-class players in the same dressing rooms.
Nepal's climb took decades. The country joined the ICC as an affiliate in 1988 and became an associate member on 2 February 1996. It won T20I status in June 2014 and played its first World Twenty20 that year. On 15 March 2018 it earned ODI status, and played its first ODI against the Netherlands on 1 August 2018.
The moments that made fans of a new generation came in a rush:
- Asian Games 2023, Hangzhou: Nepal scored 314 for 3 against Mongolia, then the highest total in T20I history. Kushal Malla hit a 34-ball hundred and Dipendra Singh Airee a 9-ball fifty, both world records at the time.
- T20 World Cup 2024: Nepal lost to South Africa by a single run, run out off the final ball.
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) announced the Nepal Premier League in January 2024. Eight franchises were sold on 5 September 2024 for a combined NPR 16.89 crore (about US$1.1 million), and the first ball was bowled that November. Every match is played at one ground: the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, on the southwest edge of Kathmandu.
Two seasons, two champions, one unlucky finalist
Two different teams have won the NPL, and Sudurpaschim Royals have lost both finals.
| Season | Final | Champion | Runner-up | How it ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 Dec 2025, Kirtipur | Lumbini Lions | Sudurpaschim Royals | Sudurpaschim all out for 85 in 19.1 overs; Lumbini chased it in 9 overs (86/4), winning by 6 wickets |
| 2024 | 21 Dec 2024, Kirtipur | Janakpur Bolts | Sudurpaschim Royals | Sudurpaschim made 184/9; Janakpur reached 185/5 in 19.2 overs, winning by 5 wickets |
The two finals could not have been more different. The first was a high-scoring finish that went into the last over. The second was over in nine overs.
Across both seasons, Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel scored the most runs (555). New Zealand fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn of Sudurpaschim took the most wickets (27).
Janakpur's story is the strangest of the three: champions in 2024, they finished last of eight in 2025.
Season 3 at a glance
Siddhartha Bank NPL 2026 runs from 26 October to 21 November: 32 T20 matches, all at TU Ground in Kirtipur.
| Dates | 26 Oct – 21 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur |
| Format | 8 teams, round-robin league, then 4 playoff matches |
| Organiser | Cricket Association of Nepal |
| Title sponsor | Siddhartha Bank |
| Defending champion | Lumbini Lions |
| Final | 21 Nov 2026, 16:30 Nepal time |
Three things are new this year:
- ICC sanction. The ICC sanctioned the league on 16 October 2026, so its matches carry official T20 status.
- DRS. The Decision Review System is used for the first time, so players can challenge on-field umpiring calls.
- More overseas players. Each team can register up to eight, up from four to six before. Four can play in an XI alongside seven Nepalis.
The player auction was held in Kathmandu on 6 July 2026. 37 players were sold, and the most expensive was a Nepali: batter Aasif Sheikh, bought by Lumbini Lions for NPR 20 lakh (NPR 2,000,000).
The eight teams
Each of Nepal's seven provinces has at least one team, and Bagmati has two (Kathmandu and Chitwan). Listed in order of where they finished in 2025.
| Team | Home city (province) | 2025 finish | Captain | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumbini Lions | Siddharthanagar (Lumbini) | Champions | Rohit Paudel | Tinu Yohannan |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | Dhangadhi (Sudurpashchim) | Runners-up | Dipendra Singh Airee | Misbah-ul-Haq |
| Biratnagar Kings | Biratnagar (Koshi) | 3rd | Sandeep Lamichhane | Dhammika Prasad |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | Kathmandu (Bagmati) | 4th | Karan KC | Monty Desai |
| Pokhara Avengers | Pokhara (Gandaki) | 5th | Kushal Bhurtel | Ajantha Mendis |
| Karnali Yaks | Birendranagar (Karnali) | 6th | Sompal Kami | Gyanendra Malla |
| Chitwan Rhinos | Bharatpur (Bagmati) | 7th | Kushal Malla | Sohail Tanvir |
| Janakpur Bolts | Janakpur (Madhesh) | 8th | Harmeet Singh | Shivnarine Chanderpaul |
One storyline per team:
- Lumbini Lions: defending champions, and they opened 2026 by thrashing the team they beat in the final.
- Sudurpaschim Royals: two finals, two defeats. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee and coach Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's former captain, are chasing a first title.
- Biratnagar Kings: led by Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal's best-known leg-spinner, with the biggest cluster of overseas stars.
- Kathmandu Gorkhas: the capital's team, with David Warner in the squad.
- Pokhara Avengers: coached by former Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis, with Shakib Al Hasan among their signings.
- Karnali Yaks: from Nepal's most remote province, coached by former Nepal captain Gyanendra Malla.
- Chitwan Rhinos: seventh last year, and captained by Kushal Malla, the man with the 34-ball T20I hundred.
- Janakpur Bolts: first champions in 2024, last in 2025, now coached by West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Players to watch
The Nepali core carries this league; the overseas names bring the crowds and the cameras.
Nepali players
- Rohit Paudel (Lumbini Lions): the NPL's all-time top run-scorer, with 555 runs over two seasons, and captain of the champions.
- Dipendra Singh Airee (Sudurpaschim Royals): the 9-ball-fifty man, now captaining a team that badly needs a title.
- Kushal Malla (Chitwan Rhinos): scorer of a 34-ball T20I hundred at the 2023 Asian Games.
- Sandeep Lamichhane (Biratnagar Kings): leg-spinner and Biratnagar captain.
- Kushal Bhurtel (Pokhara Avengers): opening batter and Pokhara captain.
- Aasif Sheikh (Lumbini Lions): the most expensive buy at this year's auction.
Overseas signings (only those reported by at least two sources)
| Team | Overseas players |
|---|---|
| Biratnagar Kings | Andre Russell (West Indies), Angelo Mathews and Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) |
| Janakpur Bolts | Moeen Ali (England), Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand), Iftikhar Ahmed (Pakistan) |
| Lumbini Lions | Niroshan Dickwella (Sri Lanka), D'Arcy Short (Australia), Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA) |
| Pokhara Avengers | Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Dhananjaya Lakshan (Sri Lanka) |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | David Warner (Australia) |
| Karnali Yaks | David Miller (South Africa) |
| Chitwan Rhinos | Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | Scott Kuggeleijn (New Zealand) |
Two overseas players pulled out before the first ball: Sahibzada Farhan (Karnali Yaks) for national duty, and Hunain Shah (Janakpur Bolts) after not receiving a no-objection certificate from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Storylines and the road to 21 November
The league stage ends on 15 November; then four playoff matches in five days decide the title.
Five questions the season will answer
- Can Lumbini become the first team to defend the title? Their opening-day win over Sudurpaschim says they are the team to beat.
- Will Sudurpaschim finally win a final? Two finals, two losses, and an opening-day loss to their old rivals.
- Can Janakpur turn last place back into a title run? They have done it before, and now have Chanderpaul in charge.
- Do the overseas stars decide it, or the Nepalis? Teams can register up to eight overseas players this year, more than ever before.
- How much will DRS change things? For the first time, a wrong decision in a tight finish can be overturned.
The playoffs
| Match | Date (Nepal time) | Who plays |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifier 1 | 17 Nov, 16:30 | 1st v 2nd after the league; the winner goes straight to the final |
| Eliminator | 18 Nov, 16:30 | 3rd v 4th after the league; the loser is out |
| Qualifier 2 | 19 Nov, 16:30 | Loser of Qualifier 1 v winner of the Eliminator |
| Final | 21 Nov, 16:30 | Winner of Qualifier 1 v winner of Qualifier 2 |
The top two get a second chance; third and fourth must win twice in a row just to reach the final.
How to watch and follow
In Nepal, watch on Himalaya Sports or stream on NetTV; in India, Star Sports and FanCode carry it.
| Where you are | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | Himalaya Sports | NetTV |
| India | Star Sports | FanCode |
| Bangladesh | — | NetTV |
| Rest of the world | Star Sports (TV rights) | NetTV (outside India) |
Matches mostly start at 12:30 or 17:00 Nepal time (UTC+5:45), and all playoffs at 16:30. Overseas listeners should convert from Nepal time; it is 15 minutes off the half-hour zones most people expect.
For the full schedule, team tables and live scores, see BriefNepal's NPL 2026 page. To test what you know, try the Daily Nepal Quiz.
Closing thoughts
The NPL is three seasons old and already has what most leagues take a decade to build: a champion to defend, a team haunted by finals, and a reason for a kid in Dhangadhi or Janakpur to pick a side.
It is also a test. A home league is how Nepal turns a few famous nights, like Hangzhou and that one-run loss to South Africa, into a steady supply of players ready for the next World Cup. Every match at Kirtipur this month is part of that.
The final is on 21 November. By then we will know whether Lumbini have built a dynasty, whether Sudurpaschim's luck has turned, or whether someone else has written a new chapter.
For podcasters: episode notes
A suggested 18–22 minute episode for two hosts, built straight from the sections above.
Run order
| # | Segment | From section | Length (min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold open: the opening-day rematch | Cold open | 1.5 |
| 2 | Intro and why the NPL exists | Why the NPL matters | 3 |
| 3 | Two finals, one unlucky team | Two seasons | 3 |
| 4 | What's new in 2026: ICC status, DRS, auction | Season 3 at a glance | 2.5 |
| 5 | Quick-fire round: eight teams, one line each | The eight teams | 4 |
| 6 | Players to watch, Nepali then overseas | Players to watch | 3 |
| 7 | Five questions and how the playoffs work | Storylines | 2.5 |
| 8 | How to watch, then outro | How to watch; Closing thoughts | 1.5 |
Pronunciation guide (approximate, for English speakers)
| Name | Say it like |
|---|---|
| Kirtipur | KEER-ti-poor |
| Paudel | POW-del |
| Airee | eye-REE |
| Lamichhane | LAA-mi-chha-nay |
| Bhurtel | BHOOR-tel |
| Sudurpaschim | su-DOOR-pash-chim |
| Siddharthanagar | sid-DHAR-tha-na-gar |
| Birendranagar | bi-REN-dra-na-gar |
| Dhangadhi | DHUN-ga-dhee |
The season is live, so results and the points table change daily. The NPL 2026 page has the current state.
Sources
- 2026 Nepal Premier League, Wikipedia: dates, venue, teams, captains, coaches, auction, opening results, playoffs, broadcasters, withdrawals
- Nepal Premier League, Wikipedia: launch, franchise sale, 2024 and 2025 finals, home cities, records
- Nepal national cricket team, Wikipedia: ICC membership, T20I and ODI status, Asian Games 2023, T20 World Cup 2024
- NPL returns with bigger ambitions and global recognition, The Kathmandu Post, 25 Oct 2026: overseas-player rule, DRS, ICC status
- NPL 2026 squads: full list of overseas players, Yahoo Sports: overseas signings (cross-checked)