The second game of Saturday’s double-header is a meeting of two sides heading in opposite directions. Sudurpaschim Royals face Biratnagar Kings in NPL Season 3 Match 8 at TU Ground, Kirtipur, on Saturday, 31 October 2026, starting at 5:00 PM NST. Sudurpaschim bounced back from an opening hammering to win their second match, while Biratnagar have lost both games so far — the second of them with one ball to spare. A win tonight takes the Royals to four points; a win for the Kings finally gets their season started.
| Match | Sudurpaschim Royals vs Biratnagar Kings, NPL Season 3 Match 8 |
| Date and time | Saturday, 31 October 2026, 5:00 PM NST |
| Venue | TU Ground, Kirtipur |
| Captains | Dipendra Singh Airee (Sudurpaschim) and Sandeep Lamichhane (Biratnagar) |
| Head coaches | Misbah-ul-Haq (Sudurpaschim) and Dhammika Prasad (Biratnagar) |
| Watch | NetTV worldwide, Himalaya TV in Nepal |
| First game today | Lumbini vs Chitwan, 12:30 PM NST |
Royals finding their feet
Sudurpaschim’s season started with a hammering and recovered with a captain’s performance. The Royals were bowled out for 87 in 17.2 overs in Match 1 and lost to Lumbini by seven wickets in 9.5 overs, then answered in Match 4 by beating Pokhara by six wickets, with captain Dipendra Singh Airee hitting an unbeaten 51 off 36 balls and taking one wicket for 21 runs to win Player of the Match. Airee has 78 runs and two wickets in the season so far.
Misbah-ul-Haq coaches the side, and the players to watch tonight are Saif Ali Zaib, Scott Kuggeleijn and Brandon McMullen. The Royals are runners-up in both previous seasons, and a second straight win tonight would move them to four points and right into the playoff race.
Kings still waiting
Biratnagar’s season has been close twice and rewarding never. The Kings lost their opener to Chitwan by eight runs, bowled out for 149 chasing 158, then lost to Karnali by four wickets in Match 6, defending 186 for 7 and beaten with one ball left. Lokesh Bam’s 87 off 52 balls in that match is the highest individual score of the season so far, and Andre Russell has 60 runs at a strike rate of 187.50 — but neither has yet turned into a win.
Captain Sandeep Lamichhane has taken one wicket in seven and a half overs at an economy of 7.73, and Dhammika Prasad coaches the side. Biratnagar finished third in Season 2 after sixth in Season 1, so the recent-season form says they belong in the playoff race — but only a win tonight starts turning that form into points. The players to watch are Charith Asalanka and Ranjane, and the Kings need their overseas stars and their captain to fire together for the first time tonight.
Evening conditions, and what to watch
The evening start helps tonight’s game. Rain has fallen in Kathmandu since late Thursday night, and as of Friday evening no postponement had been announced for Saturday’s matches, with conditions expected to ease from Saturday afternoon — so the 5:00 PM start is less exposed than the day game. There are no reserve days in the league stage, so an abandoned match would give each side one point.
The captain duel is worth watching on its own: Airee leads Nepal in T20 internationals, Sandeep leads Nepal in one-day internationals, and both carry their franchise’s hopes tonight. Add Bam’s form, Russell’s strike rate, and a Royals side that knows how to win the big games, and the evening game has every ingredient the day game promised.
How to watch
NetTV streams the match worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts it in Nepal. In India, Star Sports carries it on television and FanCode streams it. Tickets for the double-header are sold through eSewa, the league’s exclusive ticketing partner, with General tickets at NPR 500 and Premium at NPR 1,000. All 28 league-stage matches of Season 3 are played at TU Ground, Kirtipur.
Tonight, Saturday, 31 October 2026, at 5:00 PM NST at TU Ground, Kirtipur. It is the second game of Saturday’s double-header.
Dipendra Singh Airee captains Sudurpaschim with Misbah-ul-Haq as head coach, and Sandeep Lamichhane captains Biratnagar with Dhammika Prasad as head coach.
Sudurpaschim have one win and one defeat: a seven-wicket loss to Lumbini, then a six-wicket win over Pokhara. Biratnagar have lost both matches: by eight runs to Chitwan, then by four wickets to Karnali with one ball left.
NetTV streams it worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts it in Nepal.
