Nepal Premier League mania sweeps country

The  highly anticipated third edition of the Nepal Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament gets underway in Tribhuvan University International cricket ground from October 26th  to November 21st, 2026.

Since the  competition organized by the Cricket  Association of Nepal(CAN) started in 2024, it has dramatically grown in stature  and exploded in popularity.

Consequently, today  it is the country’s numero uno T20  tournament.It has won the hearts and minds of sports fans across the country.

The past editions  saw fans turn out in unprecedented numbers for every match and proved to be a rousing success.

The upcoming championship is no exception. It is eagerly  awaited by sports enthusiasts who have been  gripped by  cricket fever. A record number of spectators are expected to attend every single  match that will be played in daylight and under floodlights.

With domestic football  activities in the country coming to a dead stop for the last several  months  because of  suspension imposed on All Nepal Football  Association by the world football governing body FIFA, sports buffs isolated from football are expected to show up for NPL matches in unprecedented numbers.

Comparatively,the third edition has been  made  more special than the past editions and gained prominence further .

Foremost,International Cricket  Council’s ( ICC) recognition,granting  list  A T-20 status to NPL is a milestone in the history of Nepal cricket.

The crucial recognition of NPL is a huge encouraging and motivating factor for players  because their  performances with the ball and bat will now be included in their official T20 statistics and records.

ICC ‘s recognition will  take NPL to a whole new level internationally in terms of status and lift all restrictions implied on overseas players' participation in the tournament .Now  the  participating teams will have the liberty to sign active  international players freely.

To add, CAN has added quality and  reliability to NPL  by introducing the Decision Review System

(DRS) for the first time to  help match officials review  and confirm  their on field decisions if challenged and disputed.

NPL provides a perfect platform to local budding talents to play alongside the country’s  top national and  experienced international players. It  is a great opportunity for them to showcase their potential and make an impactful performance.

The new status of NPL is bound to propel both  current national  and  rising  players to perform at their very best and make a lasting impression.

The competition has  created a huge buzz and is the subject of conversation everywhere in the country.

The eight participating franchise  teams represent the country’s major cities and provinces. 

The 2026 NPL  features as many as forty two  foreign players from West Indies, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand , United States, Namibia, Pakistan, Bangladesh , India. Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe  and Afghanistan in all eight teams.

Seven  teams have foreign head coaches and  Karnali Yaks is the sole team with a home grown  coach. 

Amongst the  foreign players, the two biggest names are  Australian David Warner who skippered  the national team in ODIs and Twenty20s  and Afghani leg-spinner recruited by Kathmandu Gurkhas .

Janakpur Bolts won the inaugural tournament and Lumbini Lions are the defending champions .

The 2026 NPL season gets  off  with  the inaugural match between Lumbini Lions and Sudurpaschim.

Both print and electronic media’s   coverage of NPL has  been massive and played  a significant role when it  comes  to  promoting and marketing the event in a big way.

The tournament has gone global  and the 32 matches can be watched live virtually anywhere in the world.

 

CAN  deserves applause for  its  efforts to successfully elevate the status of NPL and make it recognizable internationally. Additionally, it will further promote cricket in the country, inspire the young generation of players to take up the sport and help Nepal become a major international cricket venue in the future.

More importantly, for the tournament to sustain and maintain its image in the long run,CAN must  manage the tournament in the best possible manner and ensure that it is  hundred percent free of controversies, scandals and corruption.

Let us not forget that the first T20 organized by CAN in 2022  was marred by match-fixing and spot-fixing which led to arrests of several home and international players. It raised a big question mark over CAN’s accountability, governance and management.

CAN must  take every step to prevent this kind of destructive incident from repeating to safeguard the integrity of NPL and Nepal cricket.