Sunday is a single-match day, and it brings together two sides at very different stages of their seasons. Janakpur Bolts face Pokhara Avengers in NPL Season 3 Match 9 at TU Ground, Kirtipur, on Sunday, 1 November 2026, starting at 5:00 PM NST. Janakpur have one win from two matches after beating Kathmandu in their last game, while Pokhara have played only once and lost it — and remain the only team in the league never to have reached the playoffs. A second win takes the Bolts to four points; a first win finally gets the Avengers moving.
| Match | Janakpur Bolts vs Pokhara Avengers, NPL Season 3 Match 9 |
| Date and time | Sunday, 1 November 2026, 5:00 PM NST |
| Venue | TU Ground, Kirtipur |
| Captains | Harmeet Singh (Janakpur) and Kushal Bhurtel (Pokhara) |
| Head coaches | Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Janakpur) and Ajantha Mendis (Pokhara) |
| Watch | NetTV worldwide, Himalaya TV in Nepal |
| Day format | Single-match day — the only NPL fixture on Sunday |
Bolts finding their rhythm
Janakpur’s season has already had both sides of the coin. The Bolts lost their opener to Karnali by 19 runs, bowled out for 113 chasing 133, then answered in Match 5 by beating Kathmandu by eight wickets, chasing 116 for 2 in 17.2 overs with 16 balls to spare. Moeen Ali hit an unbeaten 58 off 51 balls in that win, Rahul Yadav took four wickets for 31 runs, and Saif Ali Zaib marked his debut with two wickets for 11 runs and an unbeaten 40 off 39 balls.
Harmeet Singh captains the side, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul as head coach, and the players to watch are Jimmy Neesham, Harmeet himself, Iftikhar Ahmed and Moeen Ali. Janakpur are the Season 1 champions, having beaten Sudurpaschim by five wickets in the Season 1 final on 21 December 2024. Janakpur sit on two points with a net run rate of minus 0.041, and a second win on Sunday would lift them right into the top four.
Avengers still waiting
Pokhara have had only one outing so far, and it ended in defeat. The Avengers posted 145 for 7 against Sudurpaschim in Match 4 and lost by six wickets with 19 balls to spare, as Dipendra Singh Airee finished unbeaten on 51. Captain Kushal Bhurtel scored 21 off 17 balls and bowled the final over himself, and Shakib Al Hasan made 14 off 16 balls and took one wicket for 24 runs in what has been his only appearance of the season so far.
Ajantha Mendis coaches the side, and the players to watch are Shakib and Dhananjaya Lakshan. Pokhara sit on zero points with a net run rate of minus 1.542, and the record that follows them everywhere is plain: they are the only franchise never to have reached the playoffs. Sunday is their chance to start rewriting it.
What to watch
The contest shapes up around Janakpur’s batting form and Pokhara’s need for a bowling response. Moeen’s unbeaten fifty in Match 5 is the standout innings of the Bolts’ season so far, and Harmeet’s three wickets for 22 runs against Karnali showed the spin threat in this side. Pokhara’s answer has to come from their captain and their overseas stars, with Bhurtel’s own final over in Match 4 still fresh in the memory: the over in which Airee reached his fifty and hit the winning runs.
Sunday is also a rare single-match day, so the whole league’s attention is on one game at Kirtipur. The winner takes two points, and in a round-robin this tight, a second win for Janakpur or a first win for Pokhara reshapes the race for the four playoff spots.
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 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.
Sunday, 1 November 2026, at 5:00 PM NST at TU Ground, Kirtipur. Sunday is a single-match day, so this is the only NPL fixture.
Harmeet Singh captains Janakpur with Shivnarine Chanderpaul as head coach, and Kushal Bhurtel captains Pokhara with Ajantha Mendis as head coach.
Janakpur have one win and one defeat: a 19-run loss to Karnali, then an eight-wicket win over Kathmandu. Pokhara have played once and lost: by six wickets to Sudurpaschim.
NetTV streams it worldwide, and Himalaya TV broadcasts it in Nepal.
