Cricket is the loudest spectator sport in Nepal, and the Nepal Premier League is its biggest stage. Season 3 is under way in Kathmandu as this is written, and it runs until November 21. If you are in the city at any point in the next three weeks, you can sit on a grass bank with ten thousand Nepalis, watch a Twenty20 match featuring international names, and pay roughly what a dinner in Thamel costs. Few things on a Nepal trip put you inside everyday Nepali life as quickly.
The 2026 season at a glance
| Dates | October 26 to November 21, 2026 |
| Venue | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Kathmandu |
| Teams | 8, one per province |
| Matches | 32 (28 league, 4 playoffs) |
| Format | Single round robin, then Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, Final |
| Match times | 12:30 pm and 5:00 pm on double-header days, 5:00 pm on single-match days |
| Playoffs | Nov 17 (Q1), Nov 18 (Eliminator), Nov 19 (Q2), Final Sat Nov 21 |
| Defending champion | Lumbini Lions |
| Organiser | Cricket Association of Nepal; title sponsor Siddhartha Bank |
This is the first season played with full International Cricket Council sanction. The ICC approved the league on October 16, 2026, which gives every match official T20 status and lifts the restrictions that kept some active Test players away. The Decision Review System arrives this year too, so expect the pauses and the big-screen theatre that come with it.
Match 4 highlights, Pokhara Avengers vs Sudurpaschim Royals, from the official Nepal Premier League channelThe eight teams
| Team | Home city | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | Kathmandu | The home crowd's team; their matches are the ones that sell out |
| Pokhara Avengers | Pokhara | Gandaki's side, loud support from the Lakeside bars too |
| Lumbini Lions | Siddharthanagar | Champions in 2025 |
| Janakpur Bolts | Janakpur | Champions in 2024 |
| Sudurpaschim Royals | Dhangadhi | Runners-up in both previous finals |
| Biratnagar Kings | Biratnagar | Koshi's side, with Nepal's best-known bowler in 2025 |
| Chitwan Rhinos | Bharatpur | Named for the park next door |
| Karnali Yaks | Birendranagar | Started 2026 with two wins from two |
The overseas signings announced for this season include names cricket fans will recognise, among them Andre Russell, David Miller, Moeen Ali, Shakib Al Hasan, Angelo Mathews, and Jimmy Neesham, though several players have already withdrawn for national duty or paperwork and squads shift from week to week. The Nepali internationals you see in World Cup qualifiers, players such as Rohit Paudel, Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sandeep Lamichhane, are spread across the eight squads, and the crowd reacts to them more than to any import.
Tickets
What we can say with confidence is how the last season worked, because 2026 pricing had not been published in the press when this was written.
- In 2025, single-match tickets cost about NPR 500 for general entry and NPR 1,500 to 2,000 for premium seats, and a full-season pass was NPR 15,000.
- Sales ran through Khalti, a Nepali payment app, using its app and events site. The association released around 8,000 tickets per match in a ground that seats roughly 10,000.
- Khalti registration needs a Nepali mobile number, which is the one real barrier for a visitor. A local SIM solves it (see our SIM and internet guide), and so does asking your hotel or guide to buy on your behalf.
- Weekday 12:30 pm matches between provincial sides are the easy ones to get into; Kathmandu Gorkhas fixtures, Saturday evenings, and the four playoff nights sell out first.
The organisers upgraded the ground before this season, after complaints last year about toilets and the dusty approach road, with the stated aim of fixing the whole experience from gate to exit. Treat that as a promise rather than a guarantee.
Getting to Kirtipur
The ground sits on the Tribhuvan University campus in Kirtipur, about 7 km southwest of Thamel.
- Taxi or ride app: 30 to 45 minutes in normal traffic, longer at the 5 pm rush. Pathao and inDrive both work in Kathmandu and cost less than a street taxi; agree a price or use the app meter.
- Bus: local buses to Kirtipur leave from Ratna Park and from Balkhu; cheap, slow, and an experience in themselves.
- After an evening match: several thousand people leave at once and taxis are scarce. Book a return ride on the app before the last over, or walk ten minutes away from the gates before trying to flag one down.
Make a half day of it. Kirtipur's old town on the hill above the campus has the Bagh Bhairab temple and the Chilancho stupa, a Newar town that most visitors never reach, and good Newar food on the lanes below the temple square. Our things to do in Kathmandu guide puts it in context.
On the day
- The embankment is the point. Most of the ground is a grass bank rather than seats. Bring something to sit on, sunscreen for the afternoon match, and a proper jacket for the 5 pm game: Kathmandu is at 1,300 metres and November nights fall to around 10°C, and the match finishes after 8:30 pm.
- Food: stalls sell momo, chowmein, sel roti, and tea; carry small notes and a water bottle.
- Noise: Nepali crowds sing, bang drums, and wave flags for the full three hours. The reaction to a Nepali bowler taking a wicket off an overseas star is the thing you came for.
- Weather this week: the tail of Cyclone Arnab brings rain through October 31, so a match on those dates may be delayed or shortened; see our Cyclone Arnab travel update. From November, Kathmandu is dry and clear nearly every day.
Pair it with Tihar
The league overlaps Tihar, the festival of lights, on November 7 to 11. The city is strung with marigolds and oil lamps, matches continue through the festival week, and the playoffs follow on November 17 to 21 once the holidays end. A week in Kathmandu that takes in Laxmi Puja, Bhai Tika, a Newar lunch in Kirtipur, and a night match under lights is as good a cultural itinerary as the city offers. For the rest of the month's weather and crowds, read Nepal in November.
Watching from elsewhere
In Nepal the matches are on Himalaya Sports on television and streamed on NetTV, and most bars in Thamel and Pokhara's Lakeside put the evening game on. Internationally the rights sit with Star Sports, and FanCode streams in India. If you are trekking, the lodge television in any Sherpa or Gurung village will be tuned to it.
