NPL Season 3 matches so far tell a clear story: six games played, four won by the chasing side, and one team perfect at the top. Karnali Yaks lead with 4 points from 2 matches, Lumbini Lions sit second on a huge net run rate, and Biratnagar Kings are winless after two games. Week 2 starts Saturday 31 October with a double-header — if Kathmandu’s rain allows it. Here are all the results so far, how each match was won, and what every coming round decides.
First Week Results: All Six Matches
| Match | Date | Result | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | 26 Oct, Mon | Lumbini Lions won by 7 wickets (61 balls left) | Sudurpaschim Royals 87/10 (17.2 ov) vs Lumbini 88/3 (9.5 ov) |
| Match 2 | 27 Oct, Tue | Chitwan Rhinos won by 8 runs | Chitwan 157/3 (20 ov) vs Biratnagar Kings 149/10 (19.3 ov) |
| Match 3 | 27 Oct, Tue | Karnali Yaks won by 19 runs | Karnali 132/9 (20 ov) vs Janakpur Bolts 113/10 (19.3 ov) |
| Match 4 | 28 Oct, Wed | Sudurpaschim Royals won by 6 wickets (19 balls left) | Pokhara Avengers 145/7 (20 ov) vs Sudurpaschim 148/4 (16.5 ov) |
| Match 5 | 29 Oct, Thu | Janakpur Bolts won by 8 wickets (16 balls left) | Kathmandu Gorkhas 115/10 (19.3 ov) vs Janakpur 116/2 (17.2 ov) |
| Match 6 | 29 Oct, Thu | Karnali Yaks won by 4 wickets (1 ball left) | Biratnagar Kings 186/7 (20 ov) vs Karnali 187/6 (19.5 ov) |
Chasing sides have won four of the six matches so far (Matches 1, 4, 5 and 6), while only Matches 2 and 3 were won defending a total. Four of the six first innings stayed under 150 (87, 132, 145 and 115), which fits TU Ground’s character: average first-innings score around 145, generous boundaries, and totals that need building rather than blasting. Season aggregates after week 1 back the star names: Andre Russell has 60 runs across Matches 2 and 6 at a strike rate of 187.50, and Moeen Ali has 77 runs plus 3 wickets across Matches 3 and 5.
Match by Match: How the First Week Was Won
Lumbini Lions opened the season by bowling Sudurpaschim Royals out for 87 and chasing it in 9.5 overs. D’Arcy Short set the tone with 40 off 18 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes, in a 71-run opening stand with Aasif Sheikh (32 off 25). Kishor Mahato took 4/22 and Sher Malla 3/11, while Sudurpaschim’s top scorer was captain Dipendra Singh Airee with 27 off 23. Scott Kuggeleijn became the first player in Nepal dismissed via DRS, introduced for the first time this season.
Chitwan Rhinos beat Biratnagar Kings by 8 runs in Match 2, built on Dawid Malan’s 70 off 50 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. Ravi Bopara added 32 off 26 and Dan Mousley finished 29 not out off 22, after Chitwan fielded four England players in all overseas slots following the Pakistan NOC withdrawals. Biratnagar looked in control at 132/5 after 16 overs needing 26 off 24, then collapsed to 149 all out, with Imran Sheikh top-scoring on 39 off 31 and Russell hitting 33 off 17. Kamal Singh Airee took 4/26 and was named Player of the Match.
Karnali Yaks defended 132 against Janakpur Bolts in Match 3, winning by 19 runs. Ariful Islam top-scored with 43 off 29 balls including 4 sixes, and Pawan Sarraf added 37 off 37. Janakpur’s chase fell apart late: Abhishek Tiwari top-scored with 20, Moeen Ali made 19 off 22 and took 2/19, and Janakpur lost their last 5 wickets for 24 runs. Unish Singh Thakuri took 3/22 and was named Player of the Match, with Hussain Talat taking 3/26.
Sudurpaschim Royals bounced back in Match 4, chasing Pokhara’s 145/7 with 19 balls to spare. Airee led the chase with 51 not out off 36 balls plus 1/21 and was named Player of the Match, sharing a 74-run stand with Ishan Pandey (37 off 31). Pokhara’s innings had Arjun Gharti’s 40 off 25, Mahedi Hasan’s 32 off 21, Shakib Al Hasan’s 14 off 16 plus 1/24, and Sadeera Samarawickrama’s 8 off 9 on debut. Pokhara remain the only team yet to reach an NPL playoff in either previous season.
Janakpur Bolts earned their first win in Match 5, chasing Kathmandu’s 115 with 16 balls to spare. Moeen Ali finished 58 not out off 51 balls and Saif Hassan 40 not out off 39, in an unbeaten 79-run third-wicket stand, with Saif also taking 2/11. Rahul Yadav took 4/31 and was named Player of the Match, while Kathmandu’s top scorer was Bhim Sharki with 33 off 29. Jimmy Neesham sat out the match for personal reasons, a day after playing Match 3.
Karnali Yaks produced the match of the season so far in Match 6, chasing Biratnagar’s 186/7 with one ball left. Sompal Kami finished 62 not out off 32 balls and took 4/33, earning Player of the Match, with Gulshan Jha unbeaten on 28 off 21 in an unbroken 64-run seventh-wicket stand. Biratnagar’s innings was built on Lokesh Bam’s 87 off 52 balls with 3 fours and 9 sixes, plus Angelo Mathews’ 31 off 23 and 3/25 and Russell’s 27 off 15. Karnali were 123/6 at the end of the 14th over and needed 22 off the last 12 balls — and got them.
Points Table After Six Matches
Karnali Yaks sit alone at the top with 4 points from 2 matches and an NRR of +0.533. Lumbini Lions sit second with 2 points from 1 match and an NRR of +4.599, the cushion built by bowling Sudurpaschim out for 87 in the opener. Chitwan Rhinos sit third with 2 points and an NRR of +0.400, ahead of Janakpur Bolts (2 points, NRR −0.041) and Sudurpaschim Royals (2 points, NRR −1.430) on net run rate.
Biratnagar Kings sit sixth with 0 points from 2 matches and an NRR of −0.261, the worst position in the league because they have used up two games without a win. Kathmandu Gorkhas (0 points from 1 match, NRR −0.942) and Pokhara Avengers (0 points from 1 match, NRR −1.542) have each lost only once, so one win puts either team back into the mid-table pack — though Pokhara’s NRR needs wins by clear margins to repair.
Week 2: 31 October to 3 November — Rain, Warner Watch and Moeen’s Farewell
Week 2 runs from Saturday 31 October to Tuesday 3 November (Matches 7 to 13), with Wednesday 4 November a rest day. Rain is the first story of the week: no postponement has been announced, but persistent Kathmandu rain since late Thursday night, driven by Cyclone Arnab, has put Saturday’s matches in doubt, with around a 90% rain chance for Kirtipur on Saturday daytime. Weather officials expect the cyclone’s effects to ease from Saturday afternoon, so Match 7 (12:30 PM) is the most exposed, Match 8 (evening) has a slightly better chance, and a late start is still possible. NPL has no reserve days, so an abandoned match means 1 point each: a washed-out Match 7 would put Lumbini and Chitwan on 3 points each, while a washed-out Match 8 would put Sudurpaschim on 3 points and give Biratnagar their first point.
- Match 7, Sat 31 Oct, 12:30 PM: Lumbini Lions vs Chitwan Rhinos — winner joins Karnali on 4 points at 2–0 in an early top-of-table clash.
- Match 8, Sat 31 Oct, 5:00 PM: Sudurpaschim Royals vs Biratnagar Kings — Biratnagar must win to avoid 0–3; a Sudurpaschim win takes them to 4 points.
- Match 9, Sun 1 Nov, 5:00 PM: Janakpur Bolts vs Pokhara Avengers — a Janakpur win takes them to 4 points, while a Pokhara loss leaves them 0–2 with the league’s worst NRR. Moeen Ali’s third of his four Janakpur matches.
- Match 10, Mon 2 Nov, 12:30 PM: Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Karnali Yaks — the Warner debut watch. David Warner had not arrived in Nepal as of 29 October reporting, so Match 10 remains the expected debut window, subject to arrival — not a confirmed debut. A Karnali win would make them 3–0 and clear at the top.
- Match 11, Mon 2 Nov, 5:00 PM: Sudurpaschim Royals vs Chitwan Rhinos.
- Match 12, Tue 3 Nov, 12:30 PM: Biratnagar Kings vs Janakpur Bolts — Moeen Ali’s last Janakpur match. He plays only their first four (Matches 3, 5, 9 and 12), after which Jimmy Neesham becomes Janakpur’s senior overseas all-rounder.
- Match 13, Tue 3 Nov, 5:00 PM: Lumbini Lions vs Pokhara Avengers.
David Miller watch runs through week 2 as well. Karnali’s sixth overseas signing, made on 23 October, still has no confirmed arrival date as of 30 October evening, so his first appearance cannot be dated yet. Miller’s record (584 T20 matches and 12,435 runs at an average of 35.02) makes his arrival the next big squad news whenever it lands.
Weeks 3 and 4: The Run to the Playoffs
Week 3 runs 5 to 7 November (Matches 14 to 18), with Sunday 8 November a rest day. Match 14 (Lumbini Lions vs Janakpur Bolts, Thu 5 Nov, 12:30 PM) is Janakpur’s first match without Moeen Ali, which moves Neesham into the senior overseas role. Match 16 (Sudurpaschim Royals vs Karnali Yaks, Fri 6 Nov, 12:30 PM) is a top-four clash, while Match 17 (Chitwan Rhinos vs Pokhara Avengers, Fri 6 Nov, 5:00 PM) leaves Pokhara near elimination territory if they are still winless. Week 3 closes with a single evening game, Match 18 (Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Lumbini Lions, Sat 7 Nov, 5:00 PM).
Week 4 runs 9 to 15 November (Matches 19 to 28), with Wednesday 11 November a rest day, and it decides the playoff field. Match 23 (Karnali Yaks vs Lumbini Lions, Thu 12 Nov, 5:00 PM) pits the leaders against the champions in a possible top-spot decider. Final day, Sunday 15 November, brings a double-header, Match 27 (Chitwan Rhinos vs Karnali Yaks, 12:30 PM) and Match 28 (Pokhara Avengers vs Kathmandu Gorkhas, 5:00 PM), that can decide the last playoff place on net run rate. Between them sit Match 19 (Pokhara vs Karnali, Mon 9 Nov, 12:30 PM), Match 20 (Chitwan vs Kathmandu, Mon 9 Nov, 5:00 PM), Match 21 (Sudurpaschim vs Janakpur, Tue 10 Nov, 5:00 PM), Match 22 (Biratnagar vs Pokhara, Thu 12 Nov, 12:30 PM), Match 24 (Kathmandu vs Sudurpaschim, Fri 13 Nov, 12:30 PM), Match 25 (Janakpur vs Chitwan, Fri 13 Nov, 5:00 PM) and Match 26 (Biratnagar vs Lumbini, Sat 14 Nov, 5:00 PM).
Playoff Dates and the Rain Rule
Qualifier 1 takes place on Tuesday 17 November (1st vs 2nd), with the winner going straight to the final. Eliminator follows on Wednesday 18 November (3rd vs 4th), and Qualifier 2 takes place on Thursday 19 November between the Qualifier 1 loser and the Eliminator winner. Grand Finale takes place on Saturday 21 November between the Qualifier 1 winner and the Qualifier 2 winner. Monday 16 November is a gap day with no match, and Friday 20 November is a rest day before the final.
Tie-break order for teams level on points is most wins, then net run rate, then head-to-head result, then fair play index. Rain rule matters all the way to the final: NPL has no reserve days, so any abandoned match, league or playoff, is not replayed — league washouts share 1 point each, which is why Saturday’s forecast is already a points-table story before a ball is bowled.
FAQs
How many matches are there in NPL Season 3?
Thirty-two matches in total: 28 league matches from 26 October to 15 November 2026, plus 4 playoff games from 17 to 21 November. All 32 matches are played at TU Ground, Kirtipur.
Who leads the points table after six matches?
Karnali Yaks lead with 4 points from 2 matches and an NRR of +0.533. Lumbini Lions are second with 2 points and an NRR of +4.599, and Chitwan Rhinos third with 2 points and an NRR of +0.400.
When is David Warner expected to play his first NPL match?
Match 10 on Monday 2 November (Kathmandu Gorkhas vs Karnali Yaks, 12:30 PM NST) remains the expected debut window from prior reporting, but Warner had not arrived in Nepal as of 29 October reporting, so the debut is expected, subject to arrival — not confirmed.
What happens if rain washes out an NPL match?
NPL has no reserve days, so a washed-out match is not replayed. An abandoned league match means both teams share 1 point each.
