Chitwan meet Pokhara in NPL Match 17 on Friday evening at Kirtipur, as the Rhinos chase a second win and the winless Avengers fight for their first points.
Friday evening brings the second game of a double-header at TU Ground, Kirtipur. Chitwan Rhinos face Pokhara Avengers in NPL Season 3 Match 17 on Friday, 6 November 2026, starting at 5:00 PM NST. After thirteen matches, Chitwan sit sixth with three points from three matches and a net run rate of minus 0.486, while Pokhara sit last with no points from three matches and a net run rate of minus 1.770. Kushal Malla is the season captain of Chitwan with Sohail Tanvir as head coach, but Sikandar Raza captained Chitwan in Match 11 with Malla on the bench, so Friday’s captain remains an open question. Kushal Bhurtel captains Pokhara with Ajantha Mendis as head coach. A win on Friday evening would take Chitwan to five points, while a Pokhara win would give the Avengers their first points of the season. Playing XIs are only confirmed at the toss.
- Match: Chitwan Rhinos vs Pokhara Avengers, NPL Season 3 Match 17
- Date and time: Friday, 6 November 2026, 5:00 PM NST
- Venue: TU Ground, Kirtipur
- Captains: Chitwan captain to be confirmed (Kushal Malla is season captain; Sikandar Raza led the side in Match 11) and Kushal Bhurtel (Pokhara)
- Head coaches: Sohail Tanvir (Chitwan) and Ajantha Mendis (Pokhara)
- Form after thirteen matches: Chitwan three points from three matches; Pokhara no points from three matches
- Watch: NetTV worldwide, Himalaya TV in Nepal
- Double-header: second game of Friday’s double-header
Rhinos looking to bounce back
Chitwan started with a win built on both halves of the game. Chitwan posted 157 for three against Biratnagar in Match 2 and defended it to win by eight runs, with Biratnagar bowled out for 149 in 19.3 overs. Dawid Malan scored 70 off 50 balls at the top of the order, and Kamal Singh Airee took four wickets for 26 runs and was named Player of the Match. Malan and Kamal gave Chitwan a win built on batting depth and bowling bite, and the Rhinos have not won since.
Chitwan were due to face Lumbini in Match 7 on Saturday, but that game was abandoned without a toss after rain, and each side took one point. Monday brought a first defeat. Chitwan posted 129 for six against Sudurpaschim in Match 11 and lost by five wickets, with Sudurpaschim chasing 131 for five in 16.4 overs. Ravi Bopara top scored with 49 off 40 balls in a losing cause, and his innings carried him past 10,000 career T20 runs. Ranjit Kumar took three wickets for 28 runs for Chitwan in that game, and his double strike in the seventh over, removing Brandon McMullen and then Dipendra Singh Airee on consecutive balls, was the closest Chitwan came to winning.
Raza scored 15 off 20 balls in Match 11 and bowled four overs for 26 runs without a wicket, leading the side in Malla’s absence. Malan scored 16 off 17 balls in that game after his 70 in Match 2, and Chitwan will need more from their senior batters on Friday evening. After thirteen matches, Chitwan sit sixth with three points, and a win over Pokhara would take them to five points and strengthen their hold on a top four place, while a defeat would keep them on three points and drag them toward the logjam below.
Avengers running out of time
Pokhara have lost all three matches so far, and each defeat has followed a similar pattern. Pokhara posted 145 for seven against Sudurpaschim in Match 4 and lost by six wickets, with Sudurpaschim chasing 148 for four in 16.5 overs. Pokhara posted 138 for nine against Janakpur in Match 9 and lost by nine runs, with Janakpur defending 147 for seven. Pokhara managed only 97 for nine against Lumbini in Match 13 and lost by eight wickets, with Lumbini chasing 98 for two in 11.4 overs. Totals of 145, 138 and 97 show a batting line up going the wrong way, and Friday evening is close to must-win for the Avengers.
Bhurtel top scored against Janakpur with 35 off 24 balls, after scoring 21 off 17 balls against Sudurpaschim and 14 off 20 balls against Lumbini. Shakib Al Hasan gives Pokhara an all-round option, with 14 off 16 balls and one wicket for 24 runs against Sudurpaschim, followed by three wickets for 15 runs and nine off 17 balls against Janakpur. Chamika Karunaratne top scored with 25 off 17 balls against Lumbini, striking two sixes before a direct hit ran him out, yet no batter other than Karunaratne passed 25 in that game. Bipin Khatri finished as Pokhara’s only wicket-taker against Lumbini, with one wicket for 20 runs from two overs.
Pokhara bowling has not defended small totals, and Pokhara batting has not posted big ones. Bhurtel leads the side as captain with Mendis as head coach, and the pair need a batting performance that gives their bowlers something to work with. A Pokhara win on Friday evening would give the Avengers their first points and keep their season alive, while a fourth straight defeat would leave them on no points from four matches with the playoff race moving away.
What to watch
Friday’s captain question leads the pre-match talk. Malla is the season captain of Chitwan, yet Raza led the side in Match 11 with Malla on the bench, and no confirmation has emerged about who leads on Friday evening. Raza brings seniority and a calm head, while Malla brings the season-long role, and the toss will settle it. Bopara form is the other Chitwan thread, with 49 off 40 balls against Sudurpaschim and a career landmark passed during that innings, and Pokhara bowling will need a plan for him early.
Bhurtel batting is the Pokhara thread. Bhurtel top scored against Janakpur with 35, yet his scores of 21 and 14 in the other two games show a captain still searching for a big innings. Shakib gives Pokhara balance, with three wickets against Janakpur and runs in both games he has played, and Karunaratne showed against Lumbini that he can clear the ropes. Evening conditions at Kirtipur follow a day game at the same ground, and the side that adapts faster to the second game of the day should take it.
Points give the game its edge. A Chitwan win would lift the Rhinos to five points and keep their top four push on track, while a Pokhara win would give the Avengers their first points and keep their season alive. Neither side can afford to treat Friday evening as a free hit.
Points table and fixtures
Updated standings appear on the NPL Season 3 points table, and every fixture and result appears on the NPL Season 3 matches page. NetTV streams the match worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts it in Nepal. Tickets are sold through eSewa, with General tickets at NPR 500 and Premium at NPR 1,000. Friday afternoon brings the first game of the double-header, with Sudurpaschim Royals facing Karnali Yaks at 12:30 PM NST at the same ground.
Friday, 6 November 2026, at 5:00 PM NST at TU Ground, Kirtipur. It is the second game of Friday’s double-header, with Sudurpaschim facing Karnali in the afternoon game.
An open question. Kushal Malla is the season captain of Chitwan, but Sikandar Raza captained the side in Match 11 with Malla on the bench, and no confirmation has emerged about who leads on Friday evening. Kushal Bhurtel captains Pokhara with Ajantha Mendis as head coach.
After thirteen matches, Chitwan have one win, one no-result and one defeat: an eight run win over Biratnagar, an abandoned game against Lumbini, and a five wicket loss to Sudurpaschim. Pokhara have three defeats: a six wicket loss to Sudurpaschim, a nine run loss to Janakpur, and an eight wicket loss to Lumbini.
NetTV streams it worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts it in Nepal.
A Chitwan win would lift the Rhinos to five points, while a Pokhara win would give the Avengers their first points of the season and keep their season alive.
