Nepal Premier League
Professional Twenty20 cricket league in Nepal
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The Nepal Premier League (NPL) is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in Nepal, organised by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Founded in 2024, it features eight franchise teams representing major cities and provinces of Nepal, and operates as the country's premier professional cricket competition with a professional structure with player auctions, and franchise ownership models.
| |
| Countries | Nepal |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Cricket Association of Nepal |
| Headquarters | Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First edition | 2024 |
| Latest edition | 2025 |
| Next edition | 2026 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin and playoffs |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champion | Lumbini Lions (1st title) |
| Most successful | Janakpur Bolts Lumbini Lions (1 title each) |
| Most runs | Rohit Paudel (555) |
| Most wickets | Scott Kuggeleijn (27) |
| TV | List of broadcasters |
| Website | npl-t20 |
The tournament is held annually between October and December and follows a round-robin format followed by playoffs. As of 2025, two seasons have been played and two teams have won the title once: Janakpur Bolts (2024) and Lumbini Lions (2025). The next season will be held from October 26 to November 21 in 2026.
History
Background
In 2022, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) organised the Nepal T20 League after signing a रू33 crore (US$2.1 million) agreement with the Indian sports management company Seven3Sports to host a professional 20-over limited-overs cricket league in Nepal for one year. However, the league was marred by several controversies and allegations, including match-fixing and corruption.[1]
The match between Kathmandu Knights and Biratnagar Super Kings on 3 January 2023 was delayed by two hours after players refused to take the field due to unpaid salaries.[2] Players had been contracted to receive 40% of their payments before the start of the tournament and the remaining 60% during the event. Only players from Pokhara Avengers and Lumbini All Stars had received 50% of their contracted amount, while others had received nothing. The game resumed after CAN officials assured the players that their payments would be processed.[3]
On 4 January 2023, the captain of Kathmandu Knights Gyanendra Malla revealed that one of his teammates had been approached with a match‑fixing proposal and that the matter had been reported to the tournament's anti‑corruption unit.[4] The incident was reported to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, which subsequently dispatched a team to Nepal to investigate the allegations.[5] The Central Investigation Bureau also formed specialized teams to look into the claims.[6] The Bureau's preliminary investigation revealed that three Nepali and four foreign players were under surveillance for suspected spot-fixing. Evidence also suggested that the event's management company Seven3Sports was involved in the wrongdoing. As a result, the league was ultimately shut down.[7]
Foundation of the tournament
Following the Nepal national cricket team's qualification for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, the CAN announced the launch of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) in January 2024, scheduled for November and December.[8] On 2 August 2024, CAN invited proposals for franchise ownership,[9][10] later confirming that the 2024 NPL would feature eight teams, each representing a major city in Nepal.[11] This marked an expansion from previous competitions such as Everest Premier League and Nepal T20 League, which featured six teams.[12][13]
To determine team ownership, CAN held a franchise auction on 5 September 2024. All eight teams were sold through a bidding process for a combined total of रू168,893,231 (US$1.1 million).[14] The franchise representing Pokhara fetched the highest price at रू35,700,000 (US$230,000) bought by Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. It was followed by the Kathmandu franchise, sold for रू33,333,339 (US$220,000) to Kantipur Publications. The team representing Karnali received the lowest successful bid of रू11,170,000 (US$72,000) from Himalayan Builders.[15]
Organization
The CAN is responsible for the league's overall functions; it organises, manages, and runs the league. As of December 2025, its members included:[citation needed]
- Chatur Bahadur Chand – President, CAN[citation needed]
- Roshan Kumar Singh – Vice President, CAN[citation needed]
- Paras Khadka – Secretary, CAN [16][better source needed]
- Padam Bahadur Khadka – Treasurer, CAN[citation needed]
- Jayanti Devi Bhatta – Member[citation needed]
- Dhirendra Saud – Member[citation needed]
- Durga Raj Pathak – Member[citation needed]
Squads
A team can acquire players through the annual player auction, personally signing overseas players and signing unsold players from the auction as replacements for bought players who are unavailable for the season.[17][18]
Marquee player
Each NPL team is assigned one marquee player through a random draw system.[19] The allocation is fixed for a three-year cycle, after which a new draw takes place.[20] This system was intended to maintain competitive balance, though it limits franchise control over top player selection.[21]
Player acquisition
For the 2025 NPL season, the total auction purse for each team was रू90 lakh (US$58,000).[22] Each squad must have a squad of 16 players, with the maximum of six foreign players.[23][24]
Auction
Before the auction, franchises are allowed to retain a limited number of players from their previous season squad. Retention rules are announced prior to each auction and may vary by season. Salaries of retained players are deducted from the team's auction purse. Players not retained enter the auction pool along with new registered players. Each player is given a base price, and franchises bid for them during the auction. The highest bidding franchise secures the player, and the final bid becomes the player's season salary. Unsold players may later be signed as replacement players during the tournament, subject to league approval. In some seasons, a mega auction format may be introduced where franchises must release a larger portion of their squads to ensure parity.[25][26][better source needed]
Summary
Seasons
Final results
| Year | Final | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date & Venue | Winner | Victory margin | Runner-up | ||
| 2024 | 21 December 2024 Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur | Janakpur Bolts 185/5 (19.2 overs) | 5 wickets | Sudurpaschim Royals 184/9 (20 overs) | [29],[30] |
| 2025 | 13 December 2025 Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur | Lumbini Lions 86/4 (9 overs) | 6 wickets | Sudurpaschim Royals 85 (19.1 overs) | [31],[32] |
Teams
The league has eight teams based in provinces and cities across Nepal.[33][34] The franchise, known as Kathmandu Gurkhas in 2024, was renamed Kathmandu Gorkhas in 2025 to better reflect Nepal's roots, according to franchise CEO Suraj Singh Thakuri.[35][36]
| Team | City | Debut | Captain[citation needed] | Head coach[38] | Owner(s) | Auction bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biratnagar Kings | Biratnagar, Koshi Province | Sandeep Lamichhane | Dhammika Prasad | M.A.D. Dream Sports | रू1.51 crore (US$98,000) | |
| Chitwan Rhinos | Bharatpur, Bagmati Province | Kushal Malla | Kalam Ali | Chitwan Medical College | रू1.76 crore (US$110,000) | |
| Janakpur Bolts | Janakpur, Madhesh Province | Wayne Parnell | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | Dream Sports | रू2.05 crore (US$130,000) | |
| Karnali Yaks | Birendranagar, Karnali Province | Sompal Kami | Gyanendra Malla | Himalayan Builders | रू1.11 crore (US$72,000) | |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | Kathmandu, Bagmati Province | Karan KC | Monty Desai | Kathmandu Sports Development Venture | रू3.33 crore (US$220,000) | |
| Lumbini Lions | Siddharthanagar, Lumbini Province | Rohit Paudel | Tinu Yohannan | Fortuna Health Care | रू1.86 crore (US$120,000) | |
| Pokhara Avengers | Pokhara, Gandaki Province | Kushal Bhurtel | Rajiv Kumar | Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. | रू3.57 crore (US$230,000) | |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | Dhangadhi, Sudurpashchim Province | Dipendra Singh Airee | Jagat Tamata | Empire Sports | रू1.68 crore (US$110,000) |
Team performances
By season
An overview of the teams' performances in every Nepal Premier League is given below.
- Legend
- C Champions
- RU Runners-up
- PO Playoffs
- R1 League stage
Season (No. of teams) Team |
2024 (8) |
2025 (8) |
Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biratnagar Kings | R1 | PO | 2 |
| Chitwan Rhinos | PO | R1 | 2 |
| Janakpur Bolts | C | R1 | 2 |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | R1 | PO | 2 |
| Karnali Yaks | PO | R1 | 2 |
| Lumbini Lions | R1 | C | 2 |
| Pokhara Avengers | R1 | R1 | 2 |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | RU | RU | 2 |
| Ref. | [27] | [28] | [citation needed] |
Overall
The table below provides a summary of the performances of teams over past Nepal Premier League seasons.
| Team[a] | Apps | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Win % | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janakpur Bolts | 2 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 47.05 | Champions (2024) |
| Lumbini Lions | 2 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 47.05 | Champions (2025) |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | 2 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 77.77 | Runners-up (2024, 2025) |
| Biratnagar Kings | 2 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 43.75 | Playoffs (2025) |
| Karnali Yaks | 2 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 43.75 | Playoffs (2024) |
| Chitwan Rhinos | 2 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 40.00 | Playoffs (2024) |
| Biratnagar Kings | 2 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 40.00 | Playoffs (2025) |
| Pokhara Avengers | 2 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 28.57 | League stage (2024, 2025) |
| As of 2025 Nepal Premier League Source: [citation needed] | |||||||
- Teams are ordered by their best performance, then winning percentage, then (if equal) by alphabetical order.
Records
- Source: Records extracted from ESPNcricinfo.[dead link]
- As of 13 December 2025
Team records
Batting records
| Record for | Record holder | Record | Season(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most runs | Rohit Paudel (Lumbini Lions) | 555 | 2024 – 2025 | |
| Most runs in a season | Adam Rossington (Pokhara Avengers) | 323 | 2025 | |
| Highest score | Mark Watt (Karnali Yaks) v Lumbini Lions at | 114* | 2025 | |
| Most centuries | Andries Gous (Pokhara Avengers) | 1 | ||
| Mark Watt (Karnali Yaks) | ||||
| Adam Rossington (Pokhara Avengers) | ||||
Bowling records
| Record for | Record holder | Record | Season(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most wickets | Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim Royals) | 27 | 2024 – 2025 | |
| Most wickets in a season | Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim Royals) | 17 | 2024 | |
| Lalit Rajbanshi (Janakpur Bolts) | ||||
| Abinash Bohara (Sudurpaschim Royals) | 2025 | |||
| Sandeep Lamichhane (Biratnagar Kings) | ||||
| Sher Malla (Lumbini Lions) | ||||
| Best bowling figures | v at |
Fielding records
End of season awards
Prize money
The distribution of the prize money pool of रू2.01 crore (US$130,000) is as follows:[39][40][41][42]
MCC Spirit of Cricket Award
The MCC Nepal Premier League Spirit of Cricket Award was introduced in the Nepal Premier League from its second season following a collaboration between the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).[43] The award is presented to the franchise that best upholds values such as fair play, respect, and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.[44]
| Season | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lumbini Lions | |
| 2025 | Kathmandu Gorkhas |
Platinum cap
The "platinum cap" is awarded to the highest run-scorer at the end of each NPL.[45]
| Season | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ||
| 2025 | Adam Rossington |
Golden cap
The "golden cap" is awarded to the leading wicket-taker in a NPL season.[46]
| Season | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ||
| 2025 | Sandeep Lamichhane |
Most valuable player
The "most valuable player" award is presented to the best overall performer in each NPL season, based on batting, bowling, and overall match impact.[47]
Title sponsorship
Siddhartha Bank was announced as the title sponsor of the NPL ahead of its inaugural season in 2024, after signing a five-year agreement with the CAN.[48][49] As a result of the deal the NPL is branded as the "Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League" for a five-year period from 2024 to 2029.[50][51] Reports indicated that the agreement represented the highest-ever investment in Nepali sports, with estimates of a total commitment around रू20 crore (US$1.3 million) over five years, aimed at supporting the development and commercial growth of cricket in Nepal.[52][53]
Broadcasting
The CAN announced its television rights partnership with Star Sports[54] and its Over-the-top media rights to DishHome for the second season.[55]
| Country | Television broadcast | Streaming platform | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal | Star Sports Kantipur Max | DishHome Go | [58][59] |
| India | Star Sports | N/a | [60] |
| Bangladesh | |||
| Bhutan | |||
| Sri Lanka | |||
| Maldives | |||
| Middle East | N/a | DishHome Go | [61] |
See also
- Cricket in Nepal
- Sports in Nepal – An overview of sports culture in Nepal
- Prime Minister Cup