The Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 is up and running in full swing. It’s the third season of the T20 league. And this one is a big edition.
So here’s all you need to know about the Nepal Premier League 2026 season.
When does the NPL 2026 start?
The third edition of the NPL starts on October 26, 2026. Defending champions Lumbini Lions will face Sudur Paschim Royals in the season opener in Kirtipur at 4:30 PM local time (4:15 PM IST).
How many teams are participating?
As has been the case, eight teams will once again compete in the NPL 2026.
Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas and Pokhara Avengers are the other six teams. Janakpur were the inaugural champions in 2024.
You mentioned this one is a big edition…
Yes. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved List A T20 status for all matches in the NPL 2026.
So this also means teams can sign and play more overseas players from Test-playing nations. Plus, the T20 status means all individual and team stats will be recognised officially.
And the NPL has also introduced the Decision Review System (DRS). So all on-field decisions will be reviewed, be it for LBW, run-out, stumping, no-balls and height-based wides.
Alright, what’s the format then?
The format remains the same. Teams will play against every opponent once in the league stage.
The four teams will secure a spot in the playoffs, with the top two sides playing qualifier 1, while the other two teams squaring off in the eliminator.
The qualifier 1 winner advances to the final, while the loser meets the eliminator winner in qualifier 2. The winner between them seals the other final spot.
How many matches will take place in the NPL 2026?
It’s a 32-match affair, with 28 games part of the league stage. The other four matches form the playoffs.
Which venue will host the NPL 2026?
All the matches will take place at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Okay, what’s the full schedule for the NPL 2026?
So the league stage runs from October 26 to November 15, 2026. There are 11 double-headers in the league stage.
The playoffs then start on November 17 with qualifier 1, followed by the eliminator on November 18 and qualifier 2 on November 19. The final will take place on November 21.
Nepal Premier League 2026 Schedule
| Date | Match | Time (Local/IST) |
|---|---|---|
| October 26, 2026 | Lumbini Lions vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| October 27, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Chitwan Rhinos | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| October 27, 2026 | Janakpur Bolts vs Karnali Yaks | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| October 28, 2026 | Pokhara Avengers vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| October 29, 2026 | Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gorkhas | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| October 29, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Karnali Yaks | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| October 31, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Lumbini Lions | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| October 31, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 1, 2026 | Janakpur Bolts vs Pokhara Avengers | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 2, 2026 | Karnali Yaks vs Kathmandu Gorkhas | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 2, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 3, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 3, 2026 | Lumbini Lions vs Pokhara Avengers | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 5, 2026 | Janakpur Bolts vs Lumbini Lions | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 5, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Kathmandu Gorkhas | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 6, 2026 | Karnali Yaks vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 6, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Pokhara Avengers | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 7, 2026 | Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Lumbini Lions | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 9, 2026 | Karnali Yaks vs Pokhara Avengers | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 9, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Kathmandu Gorkhas | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 10, 2026 | Janakpur Bolts vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 12, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 12, 2026 | Karnali Yaks vs Lumbini Lions | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 13, 2026 | Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Sudur Paschim Royals | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 13, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Janakpur Bolts | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 14, 2026 | Biratnagar Kings vs Lumbini Lions | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 15, 2026 | Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks | 12:30 PM/12:15 PM |
| November 15, 2026 | Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Pokhara Avengers | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 17, 2026 | Qualifier 1: No. 1 vs No. 2 | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 18, 2026 | Eliminator: No. 3 vs No. 4 | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 19, 2026 | Qualifier 2: Qualifier 1 Loser vs Eliminator Winner | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
| November 21, 2026 | Final: Qualifier 1 Winner vs Qualifier 2 Winner | 4:30 PM/4:15 PM |
Ongoing & Upcoming Series Schedule:
ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 Schedule
New Zealand vs India Series 2026: Schedule
New Zealand A vs India A Unofficial Test Series 2026: Schedule
Zimbabwe Women Tour of India 2026: Schedule
Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026: Schedule
Ranji Trophy 2026-27: Schedule
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Series 2026: Schedule
South Africa vs Australia Series 2026: Schedule
World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 Full Schedule
Indian Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
India Men’s Cricket Team 2026-27 Home Season Schedule
Indian Women’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
India’s Domestic Cricket Season 2026-27 Schedule
Australia Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
Australia Men’s Cricket Team 2026-27 Home Season Schedule
Australia Women’s Cricket Team 2026-27 Home Season Schedule
England Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
England 2026 Home Season Schedule
England Women’s Cricket Team 2026 Home Season Schedule
South Africa Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
South Africa 2026-27 Home Season Schedule
New Zealand Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
New Zealand 2026-27 Home Season Schedule
Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team 2026 Schedule
India’s ODI Schedule Till 2027 Cricket World Cup
Australia’s ODI Schedule Till 2027 Cricket World Cup
South Africa’s ODI Schedule Till 2027 Cricket World Cup
England’s ODI Schedule Till 2027 Cricket World Cup
What are the squads? And any big signings?
With the T20 status now in place, teams have brought in big names.
Andre Russell, Sikandar Raza, Ravi Bopara, Moeen Ali, James Neesham, David Miller, David Warner, Rashid Khan and Sherfane Rutherford are some big names in action in the NPL 2026.
Here’s a look at each NPL 2026 squad:
Sudur Paschim 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
Finally, where to watch the NPL 2026?
In Nepal, Star Sports and Himalaya Sports TV will broadcast the NPL 2026 live on TV, with streaming available on the NetTV app.
Indian fans can watch the action live on Star Sports on TV, while FanCode stream the matches.
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