David Warner is in Kathmandu, and for the next two weeks you can watch him bat for about the price of a plate of momo. The former Australia opener, who turned 40 on October 27, is the marquee overseas signing of the Kathmandu Gorkhas for the third season of the Nepal Premier League, and the Kathmandu Post called him the biggest overseas name to feature in the league so far. He arrived on November 1 and has already played. Here is how he got here, what he has done, the Gorkhas' remaining fixtures, and how to get a seat at Kirtipur.
How Warner ended up in Kathmandu
The Gorkhas announced him on September 15 with a teaser on social media, first the one-day and T20 World Cup trophies he won with Australia, then a necklace with the number 31, his shirt number. In his video message he said: "I am really excited to be coming to Nepal and joining the Kathmandu Gorkhas squad. I know it has been an incredibly difficult time for so many, and I hope that the NPL could bring some joy and give people something to come together." He signed off the way Nepali fans do: "Ayo Gorkhali!"
The difficult time he mentioned is real. This autumn brought the Rasuwa floods and the tail of Cyclone Arnab, and the league went ahead regardless. It is also the first NPL played with full International Cricket Council sanction, which gives every match official T20 status and makes it easier for active internationals to take part. The franchise's executive director said the signing took months of conversations. The Gorkhas' squad already had Sri Lankan all-rounder Sahan Arachchige and former India wicketkeeper KS Bharat, and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan has played for them this season.
Arrival and first matches
Franchise officials met Warner at Tribhuvan International Airport on Sunday, November 1. He had missed the Gorkhas' opener on October 29, an eight-wicket loss to Janakpur Bolts in which the home side were bowled out for 115.
His debut came the next afternoon, Monday, November 2, against Karnali Yaks, who had won both their games. Warner opened and hit three fours in 16 off 10 balls before Karnali's captain, Sompal Kami, bowled him trying a cover drive in the second over. The Gorkhas still chased 181 with two balls to spare for their first win of the season, with Rashid Khan and Karan KC doing the heavy lifting.
On Thursday, November 5, the Gorkhas bowled Biratnagar Kings out for 83 and knocked the runs off for the loss of one wicket. That left them second in the table after the November 5 matches, three points behind the unbeaten Lumbini Lions, whom they play next, on Saturday.
Cricket in Nepal: the NPL plays every match at the Tribhuvan University ground in Kirtipur
Kathmandu Gorkhas: remaining fixtures
Every NPL match this season is at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, 7 km southwest of Thamel. Afternoon matches start around 12:30 pm and evening matches around 5 pm Nepal time; published schedules differ by a quarter of an hour on some fixtures, so confirm the time on the league's official channels on the day.
| Date | Opponent | Start | Also that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Nov 7 | Lumbini Lions | Evening | Kag Tihar, the first day of Tihar |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Chitwan Rhinos | Evening | Gai Tihar, a public holiday |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Sudurpaschim Royals | Afternoon | |
| Sun, Nov 15 | Pokhara Avengers | Evening | Last league match |
| Nov 17 to 19 | Playoffs, if they qualify | Evening | Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Final | Evening |
Selection is the team's call, so there is no guarantee Warner plays every match. The Saturday evening game against Lumbini, top against second, is the one most likely to sell out.
Getting a seat at Kirtipur
Our Nepal Premier League guide covers tickets, transport and what to bring in full. The short version: general entry last season cost about NPR 500, tickets sell through the Khalti app, which needs a Nepali mobile number (a local SIM solves it, see our SIM and internet guide), and Gorkhas matches go first. If you can't register, ask your hotel to buy for you. Most of the ground is a grass bank, so bring something to sit on and a jacket for the evening match, which finishes after 8:30 pm when Kathmandu is already cold.
Make a half day of it. Kirtipur's old town sits on the hill above the campus, a Newar town most visitors never reach, with the Bagh Bhairab temple, the Chilancho stupa and good Newar food in the lanes below the temple square. Walk up before an evening match and come down at dusk.
If you can't get a ticket, the matches are on Himalaya Sports on television and streamed on NetTV in Nepal, and most bars in Thamel and on Pokhara's Lakeside put the evening game on. A Gorkhas match in a packed Thamel bar is a decent second best.
The two Tihar evenings make a good double. On November 7 the city is getting ready for the festival of lights, and the next night, Sunday, is Laxmi Puja, when every doorway in the old town fills with oil lamps; our Tihar in Kathmandu guide says where to be.
The mountain photos
Warner's Instagram stories from the Nepali mountains set off talk that he might attempt Everest. Nothing supports it: neither he nor the franchise has announced an expedition, and an Everest expedition takes around two months, while the NPL final is on November 21. If his photos have you wanting the same view without the expedition, the one-hour Everest mountain flight from Kathmandu is the realistic way to see the peak on a cricket-week schedule, and the hills above Kirtipur's old town give a view of the valley and the range on a clear morning.
For the rest of the league, including the other seven teams and how to watch from a bar in Thamel or Lakeside, read the Nepal Premier League 2026 guide.
