The third edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) gets underway on October 26, 2026, bringing together eight franchises for another exciting season of T20 cricket. The tournament is expected to attract considerable attention, with established Nepali players sharing the spotlight with several renowned international cricketers.

The competition has taken another step forward with the reported implementation of the Decision Review System (DRS) across all 32 matches at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. With defending champions Lumbini Lions returning to protect their title, the stage is set for a competitive battle among the eight participating teams.

NPL 2026: Teams, Captains and Key Players

The tournament will feature eight franchises competing in a single round-robin league stage. Each team will face the other seven sides, with the top four advancing to the playoffs to determine the eventual champions. Let’s take a look at the participating teams, their captains and some of the notable players in their squads:

Lumbini Lions: Led by Rohit Paudel, the defending champions have Niroshan Dickwella and D’Arcy Short among their key international players.

Sudurpaschim Royals: Dipendra Singh Airee will captain the side, which features the power-hitting abilities of Sherfane Rutherford and Fabian Allen.

Kathmandu Gorkhas: Karan KC will lead a squad featuring former Australian opener David Warner, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat.

Biratnagar Kings: Sandeep Lamichhane is set to captain the team, with Andre Russell, Angelo Mathews and Charith Asalanka adding considerable experience.

Chitwan Rhinos: Kushal Malla will lead the franchise, which includes Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza and Pakistani bowlers Hasan Ali and Usama Mir.

Karnali Yaks: Sompal Kami will captain the team, with David Miller and Mark Watt strengthening the squad.

Janakpur Bolts: Harmeet Singh will lead a side featuring experienced all-rounders Moeen Ali, James Neesham and Iftikhar Ahmed.

Pokhara Avengers: Kushal Bhurtel will captain the franchise, which has Bangladesh stars Shakib Al Hasan and Mahedi Hasan in its ranks.

NPL 2026, Complete schedule

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NPL 2026, Squads

Sudurpaschim Royals: Dipendra Singh Airee, Binod Bhandari, Dipak Bohara, Brandon McMullen, Scott Kuggeleijn, Aarif Sheikh, Ishan Pandey, Tek Rawat, Ayub Chand, Tek Raj Thalal, Abinash Bohara, Hemant Dhami, Hikmat Mahara, Milan Bohara, Sachin Bhatt, Saif Zaib

Pokhara Avengers: Kushal Bhurtel, Dinesh Kharel, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunny BK, Arjun Kumal, Bipin Khatri, Kiran Thagunna, Arjun Gharti, Bipin Acharya, Sagar Dhakal, Aakash Chand, Sudip Aryal, Bibek Rana Magar, Pratik Pokharel

Lumbini Lions: Rohit Paudel, Niroshan Dickwella, Sundeep Jora, Dilip Nath, Aasif Sheikh, Aakash Tripathi, D’Arcy Short, Sher Malla, Arniko Yadav, Ruben Trumpelmann, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishesh Gautam, Tilak Bhandari, Kishore Mahato, Durgesh Gupta, Ajay Chauhan, Shadley van Schalkwyk

Karnali Yaks: Sompal Kami, Ariful Islam, Deepak Dumre, Sachin Sharma, Mark Watt, Gulshan Jha, Pawan Sarraf, Unish Bikram Singh, Shubh Kansakar, Bipin Sharma, Nandan Yadav, Yuvraj Khatri, Dipendra Rawat, Surya Tamang

Kathmandu Gurkhas: David Warner, Karan KC, KS Bharat, Bhim Sharki, Sahil Patel, Suryanshu Koirala, Sahan Arachchige, Mohammad Aadil Alam, Santosh Yadav, Prasiddha Jaishi, Dev Shah, Rashid Khan, Krishna Paudel, Shahab Alam, Dayanand Mandal, Sonu Devkota

Janakpur Bolts: Anil Sah, Bikash Aagri, Aaditya Mahata, Bishal Patel, Rit Gautam, Santosh Karki, Harmeet Singh, Iftikhar Ahmed, James Neesham, Moeen Ali, Mayan Yadav, Trit Raj Das, Abhishek Tiwari, Amar Singh Rautela, Lalit Rajbanshi, Ashutosh Pandey, Bishal Shusling

Chitwan Rhinos: Kushal Malla, Deepak Bohara, Dev Khanal, Arjun Saud, Bipin Rawal, Ravi Bopara, Sikandar Raza, Bibek Kumar Yadav, Salahuddin Khan, Kaleem Sana, Usama Mir, Rijan Dhakal, Ranjeet Kumar, Kamal Singh Airee, Mousom Dhakal, Ashok Dhami, Gautam KC, Chamika Karunaratne

Biratnagar Kings: Sandeep Lamichhane, Lokesh Bam, Dilsad Ali, Sujan Thapaliya, Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Shubham Ranjane, Basir Ahamad, Narayan Joshi, Pratish GC, Rupesh Kumar Singh, Naren Saud, Pratik Shrestha, Imran Sheikh, Subash Bhandari, Aprajit Poudel, Angelo Mathews

Broadcast and Live Streaming details:

• Nepal: Himalaya Sports TV; NetTV app
• India: Fan Code
• Rest of World: NetTV app (Subscription required)

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