The Nepal Premier League (नेपाल प्रिमियर लिग), or NPL, is Nepal's franchise T20 cricket league. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) runs it, and eight privately owned teams named after Nepali cities and regions play for the title.
The league is only in its third season, but it has already drawn players such as David Warner and Andre Russell. Season 3 is also the first with official T20 status from the ICC and the first with the Decision Review System (DRS).
For the day-by-day schedule, see the full NPL fixture list and match times. NPL Season 3 at a Glance.
|
Nepali name |
नेपाल प्रिमियर लिग (एनपीएल) |
|
Season |
Third edition |
|
Start date |
Kartik 9, 2083, Monday 26 October 2026 |
|
Final |
Mangsir 5, 2083, Saturday 21 November 2026 |
|
Organiser |
Cricket Association of Nepal |
|
Title sponsor |
Siddhartha Bank |
|
Format |
T20, 8 teams, 32 matches |
|
Venue |
TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur |
|
Defending champions |
Lumbini Lions |
|
Winner's prize |
Rs 1.5 crore |
|
Public holiday |
No |
|
Stage |
Nepali date |
English date |
Start time |
|
Opening match |
Kartik 9 |
Monday 26 October |
5:00 PM |
|
League stage ends |
Kartik 29 |
Sunday 15 November |
12:30 PM and 5:00 PM |
|
Qualifier 1 (1st vs 2nd) |
Mangsir 1 |
Tuesday 17 November |
5:00 PM |
|
Eliminator (3rd vs 4th) |
Mangsir 2 |
Wednesday 18 November |
5:00 PM |
|
Qualifier 2 |
Mangsir 3 |
Thursday 19 November |
5:00 PM |
|
Final |
Mangsir 5 |
Saturday 21 November |
5:00 PM |
Daily match times (Nepal time):
· Two matches in a day: 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM
· One match in a day: 5:00 PM
The evening start was first set for 4:30 PM. On 20 October 2026, CAN moved it to 5:00 PM because DRS reviews can make matches run longer. If you saw 4:30 PM in an older schedule, that time is out of date.
Season 3 runs through Nepal's biggest autumn festivals, so plan your family programme and your cricket together.
|
Festival |
Date |
NPL that day |
|
Kartik 21, Saturday 7 November |
Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Lumbini Lions, 5:00 PM |
|
|
Kartik 22, Sunday 8 November |
No match |
|
|
Kartik 24, Tuesday 10 November |
Sudurpaschim Royals vs Janakpur Bolts, 5:00 PM |
|
|
Kartik 25, Wednesday 11 November |
No match |
|
|
Chhath Parva, main day |
Kartik 29, Sunday 15 November |
Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks, 12:30 PM; Pokhara Avengers vs Kathmandu Gorkhas, 5:00 PM |
1. League stage: Each of the eight teams plays the other seven once, which makes 28 matches.
2. Top four go through: The teams finishing in the top four reach the playoffs.
3. Qualifier 1: The first and second teams play. The winner goes straight to the final, and the loser gets a second chance.
4. Eliminator: The third and fourth teams play. The loser is out.
5. Qualifier 2: The loser of Qualifier 1 plays the winner of the Eliminator for the last place in the final.
6. Final: The winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 play for the title.
A team can sign six to eight foreign players, with at least one from an ICC Associate member country. Only four can play in a match, so at least seven of the eleven must be Nepali.
|
Team |
Home |
Captain |
Head coach |
Foreign players include |
|
Biratnagar Kings |
Biratnagar, Koshi |
Sandeep Lamichhane |
Dhammika Prasad |
Andre Russell, Angelo Mathews, Charith Asalanka |
|
Chitwan Rhinos |
Bharatpur, Bagmati |
Kushal Malla |
Sohail Tanvir |
Dawid Malan, Sikandar Raza, Dan Mousley |
|
Janakpur Bolts |
Janakpur, Madhesh |
Harmeet Singh |
Shivnarine Chanderpaul |
Moeen Ali, James Neesham |
|
Karnali Yaks |
Birendranagar, Karnali |
Sompal Kami |
Gyanendra Malla |
David Miller, Hussain Talat |
|
Kathmandu Gorkhas |
Kathmandu, Bagmati |
Karan KC |
Monty Desai |
David Warner, K. S. Bharat |
|
Lumbini Lions |
Siddharthanagar, Lumbini |
Rohit Paudel |
Tinu Yohannan |
Niroshan Dickwella, Shadley van Schalkwyk |
|
Pokhara Avengers |
Pokhara, Gandaki |
Kushal Bhurtel |
Ajantha Mendis |
Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin |
|
Sudurpaschim Royals |
Dhangadhi, Sudurpashchim |
Dipendra Singh Airee |
Misbah-ul-Haq |
Scott Kuggeleijn, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen |
Teams can change their foreign players during the season when someone is unavailable or a replacement is signed.
The ICC recognised the NPL in October 2026. Runs and wickets from Season 3 onward count in a player's official T20 career record. Results from the first two seasons did not have this status. These are still not T20 International matches.
Season 3 brought the Decision Review System to Nepal for the first time.
· Reviews: Each team gets two unsuccessful reviews per innings.
· Technology: LBW decisions are checked with 3D ball tracking, and reviews also cover run-outs, stumpings and no-balls.
· Cost: About Rs 1.5 crore, shared by CAN and the franchises.
Sudurpaschim's Scott Kuggeleijn became the first player in NPL history to be given out after a DRS review, in the opening match.
|
Position |
Prize |
|
Champions |
Rs 1.5 crore |
|
Runners-up |
Rs 80 lakh |
|
Third |
Rs 40 lakh |
|
Fourth |
Rs 30 lakh |
|
Total |
Rs 3 crore |
On TV in Nepal: Himalaya Television holds the TV rights inside Nepal.
Online: NetTV holds the worldwide streaming rights and shows all 32 matches on its app and website.
|
Where you are |
NetTV price for the tournament |
|
Nepal |
Rs 400, including tax |
|
Middle East |
US$4 |
|
USA, Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea |
US$10 |
|
Other countries, including India |
Shown in the NetTV app |
The pass is for phones, tablets and the web, and the price depends on your country. It is reported not to work on Smart TV or set-top box apps, so check this before you pay if you plan to watch on a big screen.
We found no confirmed free live stream, and CAN has asked fans to avoid pirated streams.
eSewa is the official ticketing partner.
|
Match |
General |
Premium |
|
League stage |
Rs 500 |
Rs 1,000 |
|
Eliminator and Final |
Rs 1,000 |
Rs 2,000 |
A season pass for all matches costs Rs 15,000. Reports did not list separate prices for Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2, so check eSewa for those.
How to book on eSewa:
1. Open the eSewa app or website.
2. Go to the Travels and Ticketing section, or search for NPL.
3. Choose your match or the season pass.
4. Select the number of tickets and your zone.
5. Confirm the payment.
6. Save the QR code from your eSewa statement or email.
Check your booking to see whether you need to collect a physical ticket at the venue before the match.
Be quick, as tickets can go fast. Opening match tickets reportedly sold out within half an hour.
· Arrive early. Fans were reaching the ground more than 90 minutes before the opening match.
· Parking: Parking has been arranged in the Lab School, Chobhar and Ayurvedic Hospital areas.
· Security: More than 1,100 police are on duty for the tournament. Kathmandu District Police have warned fans about banned items, pickpockets, illegal betting and crowding outside the ground.
· Bring a warm layer. Evening matches start close to sunset and finish under floodlights.
|
Season |
Nepali dates |
English dates |
Champions |
Runners-up |
|
1 |
Mangsir 15 to Poush 6, 2081 |
30 Nov to 21 Dec 2024 |
Janakpur Bolts |
Sudurpaschim Royals |
|
2 |
Mangsir 1 to 27, 2082 |
17 Nov to 13 Dec 2025 |
Lumbini Lions |
Sudurpaschim Royals |
|
3 |
Kartik 9 to Mangsir 5, 2083 |
26 Oct to 21 Nov 2026 |
Final on Mangsir 5 |
Final on Mangsir 5 |
Sudurpaschim Royals topped the table and made 184/9 in the final. Janakpur Bolts reached 185/5 in 19.2 overs to win by five wickets, with Lahiru Milantha scoring 87 from 49 balls. Saif Zaib of Sudurpaschim was Player of the Tournament.
Lumbini Lions finished last in Season 1 and only fourth in the Season 2 league table, then won the title. In the final, they bowled Sudurpaschim out for 85 and won by six wickets. Ruben Trumpelmann took 3 wickets for 3 runs and was Player of the Match. Lumbini captain Rohit Paudel was named Player of the Tournament.
Janakpur, the Season 1 champions, finished last. Sudurpaschim topped the league table again and lost the final again.
The season opened with a rematch of the Season 2 final. Lumbini's Kishore Mahato took 4 wickets for 28 runs as Sudurpaschim were bowled out for 87. Lumbini reached 88/3 in 9.5 overs to win by seven wickets.
|
When |
What happened |
|
January 2024 |
CAN announced the Nepal Premier League. |
|
5 September 2024 |
All eight franchises were sold at auction for a combined total of about Rs 16.9 crore. Pokhara cost the most, at Rs 3.57 crore. |
|
30 November 2024 |
Season 1 began. |
|
13 December 2025 |
Lumbini Lions won Season 2. |
|
16 October 2026 |
The ICC recognised the league. |
|
26 October 2026 |
Season 3 began. |
|
Record |
Holder |
Figure |
|
Most runs |
Rohit Paudel (Lumbini Lions) |
555 |
|
Most wickets |
Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim Royals) |
27 |
|
Highest individual score |
Mark Watt (Karnali Yaks) vs Lumbini Lions, 2025 |
114 not out |
|
Most runs in a season |
Adam Rossington (Pokhara Avengers), 2025 |
323 |
|
Highest team total |
Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers, 2025 |
220/6 |
|
Lowest team total |
Janakpur Bolts vs Sudurpaschim Royals, 2024 |
51 |
In sport, NPL means the Nepal Premier League. In banking news, the same letters usually mean a non-performing loan, so "NPL" alone can bring up very different results.
2. Is the NPL the same as the Everest Premier League?
No. The Everest Premier League was a separate, privately run franchise league. The NPL is run by CAN.
3. Was there an NPL before 2024?
A six-team one-day event called the Nepal Premier League was played in 2014, and Panchakanya Tej won it. It has no link to today's T20 league. CAN also ran the Nepal T20 League in 2022, but that league was dogged by controversy and shut down.
4. What happens if rain stops a match?
When a league match ends with no result, each team gets one point.
5. When will the NPL 2027 be held?
CAN has not announced the dates for Season 4. The first three seasons all started between late October and the end of November, and each one started earlier in the year than the last.