Eight teams play at one venue for a trophy that has had only two owners so far. Nepal Premier League Season 3 brings back all eight franchises from the first two seasons, with squads rebuilt through retentions and the July auction, plus a busy round of late overseas signings. Here is every squad in one place, with captains and coaches named and owners identified, plus the signings still to arrive.
Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas, Lumbini Lions, Pokhara Avengers, and Sudurpaschim Royals play NPL Season 3. Lumbini Lions defend the title they won in December 2025. Each squad mixes Nepali players with up to eight overseas signings, though only four overseas players can play in any XI.
Quick Facts
| Team | Captain | Coach | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biratnagar Kings | Sandeep Lamichhane | Dhammika Prasad | M.A.D. Dream Sports |
| Chitwan Rhinos | Kushal Malla | Sohail Tanvir | Chitwan Medical College |
| Janakpur Bolts | Harmeet Singh | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | Dream Sports Pvt. Ltd. |
| Karnali Yaks | Sompal Kami | Gyanendra Malla | Himalayan Builders |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | Karan KC | Monty Desai | Kathmandu Sports Development Venture |
| Lumbini Lions | Rohit Paudel | Tinu Yohannan | Fortuna Health Care |
| Pokhara Avengers | Kushal Bhurtel | Ajantha Mendis | Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | Dipendra Singh Airee | Misbah-ul-Haq | Empire Sports |
How Season 3 Squads Were Built
Squads for Season 3 took shape in three stages: retentions before the auction, the player auction in Kathmandu on 6 July 2026, and direct overseas signings that continued into the season’s first week.
Franchises could register up to eight overseas players, with a maximum of four in any playing XI. Nepali players formed the core of every squad, with 14 domestic players per franchise under a NPR 9 million salary cap, while overseas slots went to a mix of established internationals and emerging names.
Not every signing reached the field. Several Pakistan players had to withdraw after PCB NOC issues. Chitwan lost Usama Mir, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz before playing a game. Janakpur lost Iftikhar Ahmed and Hunain Shah. Karnali lost Sahibzada Farhan. Sudurpaschim could not field Haider Ali. Franchises replaced them quickly. Chitwan brought in four England players (Dawid Malan, Dan Mousley, Tom Taylor, Ravi Bopara) who all played Match 2. Janakpur added Kusal Perera, Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon.
Two marquee overseas names remain awaited as the season reaches its first rest day on 30 October: David Warner (Kathmandu Gorkhas, expected for Match 10 against Karnali on 2 November) and David Miller (Karnali Yaks, signed 23 October, yet to arrive). Both will change their teams’ balance the moment they land.
All Eight Squads
Biratnagar Kings (captain Sandeep Lamichhane, coach Dhammika Prasad, owner M.A.D. Dream Sports) carry Nepal’s leading wicket-taker as captain and the tournament’s biggest overseas name in Andre Russell. Nepali squad: Sandeep Lamichhane, Lokesh Bam, Basir Ahamad, Narayan Joshi, Pratish GC, Subash Bhandari, Aprajit Poudel, Dilsad Ali, Imran Shekh, Naren Saud, Prajwal Thapa, Pratik Shrestha, Rupesh Kumar Singh, Sujan Thapaliya. Overseas: Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Shubham Ranjane, Angelo Mathews, Shehan Jayasuriya, Jishan Alam. Mathews and Jayasuriya both played Match 6 against Karnali. Russell has played both matches so far.
Chitwan Rhinos (captain Kushal Malla, coach Sohail Tanvir, owner Chitwan Medical College) rebuilt their overseas group days before the season after three Pakistan signings withdrew. Nepali squad: Kushal Malla, Dev Khanal, Arjun Saud, Kamal Singh Airee, Ranjeet Kumar, Deepak Bohara, Rijan Dhakal, Ashok Dhami, Bibek Kumar Yadav, Bipin Rawal, Gautam KC, Mausam Dhakal, Salahuddin Khan. Overseas: Sikandar Raza, Ravi Bopara, Kaleem Sana, Dawid Malan, Dan Mousley, Tom Taylor, Kamil Mishara. All four played Match 2 against Biratnagar. Ravi Bopara led that XI on the field.
Janakpur Bolts (captain Harmeet Singh, coach Shivnarine Chanderpaul, owner Dream Sports Pvt. Ltd.) are the inaugural champions, now led by USA all-rounder Harmeet Singh after Anil Sah captained the first two seasons. Nepali squad: Anil Kumar Sah, Lalit Rajbanshi, Mayan Yadav, Aaditya Mahata, Bikash Aagri, Aashutosh Pandey, Abhisekh Tiwari, Amar Singh Rautela, Bishal Kumar Patel, Bishal Susling, Rit Gautam, Santosh Karki, Trit Raj Das. Overseas: Harmeet Singh, Moeen Ali, Jimmy Neesham, Kusal Perera, Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon. Moeen Ali plays only Janakpur’s first four matches. Neesham played Match 3 and missed Match 5 for personal reasons.
Karnali Yaks (captain Sompal Kami, coach Gyanendra Malla, owner Himalayan Builders) are the early pacesetters despite being the league’s least expensive franchise. Nepali squad: Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Nandan Yadav, Deepak Dumre, Pawan Sarraf, Unish Bikram Singh Thakuri, Yuvraj Khatri, Bipin Prasad Sharma, Dipendra Rawat, Diwan Pun, Sachin Sharma, Shubh Kansakar, Surya Tamang. Overseas: Mark Watt, Akbar Ali, Ariful Islam, Hussain Talat, David Miller. Talat and Ariful Islam have both played. Miller, signed 23 October, had not arrived as of 29 October.
Kathmandu Gorkhas (captain Karan KC, coach Monty Desai, owner Kathmandu Sports Development Venture) carry the tournament’s most awaited signing in David Warner. Nepali squad: Karan KC, Bhim Sharki, Mohammad Aadil Alam, Rashid Khan, Shahab Alam, Santosh Yadav, Dayanand Mandal, Dev Shah, Krishna Paudel, Prashiddha Jaishi, Sahil Patel, Sonu Devkota, Suryanshu Koirala, Hari Shankar Shah, Sumit Maharjan. Overseas: David Warner, Sahan Arachchige, KS Bharat, Will Bosisto, Sam Heazlett, Smit Patel, Ripon Mondol, Jahandad Khan. Warner had not arrived as of 29 October and is expected for Match 10 against Karnali on 2 November. Match 5 featured Heazlett, Smit Patel, Mondol, Jahandad Khan. Kathmandu’s Rashid Khan is a Nepali domestic bowler, not the Afghan international of the same name.
Lumbini Lions (captain Rohit Paudel, coach Tinu Yohannan, owner Fortuna Health Care) defend the title they won in December 2025. Nepali squad: Rohit Paudel, Sher Malla, Dilip Nath, Sundeep Jora, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishesh Gautam, Tilak Bhandari, Aakash Tripathi, Aasif Sheikh, Ajay Chauhan, Arniko Prasad Yadav, Durgesh Gupta, Kishor Mahato. Overseas: Ruben Trumpelmann, Niroshan Dickwella, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Shamim Hossain, D’Arcy Short. Short, missing from some squad lists, confirmed his place with 40 off 18 in Match 1. Aasif Sheikh was the season auction’s most expensive buy at NPR 20 lakh.
Pokhara Avengers (captain Kushal Bhurtel, coach Ajantha Mendis, owner Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd.) are the league’s costliest franchise at NPR 3.57 crore. Nepali squad: Kushal Bhurtel, Arjun Kumal, Dinesh Kharel, Bipin Khatri, Aakash Chand, Kiran Thagunna, Sagar Dhakal, Arjun Gharti, Bibek Kumar Rana Magar, Bipin Acharya, Pratik Pokharel, Sudip Aryal, Sunny BK. Overseas: Shakib Al Hasan, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Chamika Karunaratne, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Sadeera Samarawickrama. Samarawickrama, signed 28 October as the sixth overseas player, played Match 4. Shakib played Match 4 as well.
Sudurpaschim Royals (captain Dipendra Singh Airee, coach Misbah-ul-Haq, owner Empire Sports) are the only team to reach both previous finals, and lost both. Nepali squad: Dipendra Singh Airee, Binod Bhandari, Aarif Sheikh, Ishan Pandey, Abinash Bohara, Hemant Dhami, Hikmat Mahara, Anil Kharel, Ayub Chand, Dipak Bohara, Milan Bohara, Sachin Bhatta, Tek Rawat, Tek Raj Thalal. Overseas: Saif Ali Zaib, Scott Kuggeleijn, Brandon McMullen, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Tharindu Rathnayake. Rutherford played Matches 1 and 4. Allen and Rathnayake joined in late October and had not played as of 29 October.
Coaches and Owners Behind the Teams
Coaching benches in Season 3 mix West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal experience. Shivnarine Chanderpaul returns for a second campaign with Janakpur. Misbah-ul-Haq takes over Sudurpaschim after Jagat Tamatta coached the first two seasons. Ajantha Mendis guides Pokhara, while Monty Desai, who previously coached Nepal’s national side, leads Kathmandu. Dhammika Prasad coaches Biratnagar. Sohail Tanvir coaches Chitwan. Gyanendra Malla, Nepal’s former captain, coaches Karnali. Tinu Yohannan coaches defending champions Lumbini.
Ownership sits with Nepali companies and institutions, not individuals, in most cases. Fortuna Health Care owns Lumbini. Dream Sports Pvt. Ltd. owns Janakpur. Himalayan Builders own Karnali. Empire Sports own Sudurpaschim. Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. own Pokhara. Kathmandu Sports Development Venture own Kathmandu. Chitwan Medical College own Chitwan. M.A.D. Dream Sports own Biratnagar. Franchise purchase prices, set in the first-season auction, ranged from NPR 1.12 crore (Karnali) to NPR 3.57 crore (Pokhara), a combined NPR 16.89 crore.
What to Watch Next
Match 8 on Saturday 31 October (Sudurpaschim Royals vs Biratnagar Kings, 5:00 PM NST) opens the weekend after the 30 October rest day, followed by Match 9 (Janakpur Bolts vs Pokhara Avengers, 1 November) and Match 10 (Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Karnali Yaks, 2 November, 12:30 PM NST), the match Warner is expected to debut in.
Moeen Ali’s remaining Janakpur appearances (Matches 9 and 12) are also circled, since he leaves after the team’s first four matches and Jimmy Neesham then becomes Janakpur’s senior overseas all-rounder. Miller’s arrival date for Karnali remains unconfirmed, and his first appearance will be the next big squad news of the season.
Playoff math sharpens from here: 28 league matches decide four playoff spots, with Qualifier 1 on 17 November, the Eliminator on 18 November, Qualifier 2 on 19 November, and the Grand Finale on 21 November, all at TU Ground, Kirtipur.
FAQs
Which teams play in NPL Season 3?
Eight teams: Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas, Lumbini Lions, Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals. All 32 matches are played at TU Ground, Kirtipur.
How many overseas players can an NPL team field?
Franchises can register up to eight overseas players, but only four can play in any XI. Nepali players form the rest of every squad.
Who are the defending champions of the NPL?
Lumbini Lions, captained by Rohit Paudel. Lumbini beat Sudurpaschim Royals by 6 wickets in the Season 2 final on 13 December 2025, chasing 86 in 9 overs.
Which big overseas stars are still to arrive in NPL Season 3?
David Warner (Kathmandu Gorkhas) is expected for Match 10 against Karnali on 2 November, and David Miller (Karnali Yaks), signed 23 October, had not arrived as of 29 October. Both will be confirmed from team announcements before their first match.
