One ground, eight teams, 32 matches and a stack of firsts — NPL Season 3 packs a lot of questions into three weeks. Every match is played at TU Ground, Kirtipur, from 26 October to 21 November 2026, with official T20 status from the ICC, the Decision Review System making its debut, and defending champions Lumbini Lions trying to hold off the team they beat in last season’s final. Tickets, streaming, playoffs, prize money and the new rules are all answered here in one place.
| Season | 26 October to 21 November 2026, all matches at TU Ground, Kirtipur |
| Teams and matches | 8 franchises, 28 league matches plus 4 playoff matches |
| Defending champions | Lumbini Lions (beat Sudurpaschim in the Season 2 final) |
| League tickets | General NPR 500, Premium NPR 1,000, sold through eSewa only |
| Streaming | NetTV worldwide, Himalaya TV in Nepal, Star Sports and FanCode in India |
| Playoffs | Qualifier 1 on 17 November, Eliminator on 18 November, Qualifier 2 on 19 November, Final on 21 November |
| Winner prize | Rs 1.5 crore |
When, where and who
Season 3 runs from Monday, 26 October to Saturday, 21 November 2026, with all 32 matches at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur — 28 league matches followed by four playoff matches. Eight franchises contest the title: Lumbini Lions, Sudurpaschim Royals, Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas and Pokhara Avengers.
Lumbini Lions are the defending champions, having beaten Sudurpaschim Royals in the Season 2 final after bowling them out for 85 and chasing the target in nine overs. Sudurpaschim have reached the final in both seasons and hold the league’s best record with 14 wins from 18 matches. Season 3 is also the first edition played with official T20 status, after the ICC sanctioned the tournament on 16 October 2026 — the sanction covers this season only, and every run and wicket at Kirtipur now counts towards official career statistics.
Tickets and getting in
League-match tickets cost NPR 500 for general entry and NPR 1,000 for premium seats, while Eliminator and Final tickets cost NPR 1,000 general and NPR 2,000 premium. A season pass covering all 32 matches costs NPR 15,000. All tickets are sold through eSewa, which holds the exclusive ticketing rights for the season.
Entry comes with two practical notes for matchdays: a campus ID card is mandatory for entry during the tournament, and security arrangements include around 1,000 police personnel on matchdays. Day matches start at 12:30 PM NST and evening matches at 5:00 PM NST, and every playoff match starts at 5:00 PM NST.
How to watch
NetTV streams every Season 3 match worldwide as the global OTT partner, and Himalaya TV and Himalaya Sports show matches on television in Nepal, where the NetTV season pass costs Rs 400. In India, Star Sports Select 2 and Select 2 HD carry matches on TV and FanCode streams them, with FanCode’s offering at ₹89.
Pakistan has no TV channel for the season — NetTV’s app and web platform are the only route, with the price shown in-app. In the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan and Korea the NetTV pass costs US$10, and in the Middle East it costs Rs 600. There is no free legal live video stream, no official YouTube stream and no official NPL app, and passes are country-locked to the region they are bought in.
How the season is decided
After the league stage, the top four teams reach the playoffs. Qualifier 1 pairs first against second on 17 November, with the winner going straight to the final. The Eliminator pairs third against fourth on 18 November, with the loser going home. Qualifier 2 on 19 November pairs the Qualifier 1 loser against the Eliminator winner for the second final spot. The Grand Finale is on Saturday, 21 November.
Prize money for Season 3 totals Rs 3 crore: Rs 1.5 crore for the winners, Rs 80 lakh for the runners-up, Rs 40 lakh for third place and Rs 30 lakh for fourth. Squads carry six to eight overseas players, with at most four in a playing XI, and every XI must include at least one ICC Associate player. Two systems are new this season: the Decision Review System, with two unsuccessful reviews per team per innings at a shared cost of Rs 15 to 20 million, and the auction that built the squads on 6 July 2026, where Aasif Sheikh’s NPR 20 lakh move to Lumbini set the record.
From 26 October to 21 November 2026, with all 32 matches at TU Ground, Kirtipur — 28 league matches followed by four playoff matches.
NetTV streams every match worldwide, Himalaya TV shows matches on television in Nepal, and Star Sports plus FanCode cover India. Pakistan has no TV channel — NetTV’s app and web platform are the only route there.
League matches cost NPR 500 general and NPR 1,000 premium, Eliminator and Final tickets cost NPR 1,000 and NPR 2,000, and a season pass costs NPR 15,000, all sold through eSewa.
Four teams advance. Qualifier 1 on 17 November sends its winner straight to the final. The Eliminator on 18 November knocks its loser out. Qualifier 2 on 19 November decides the second finalist. The Grand Finale is on 21 November.
