The Nepal Premier League (NPL) or 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐾𑐩𑐶𑐫𑐬 𑐮𑐶𑑂𑐐 or नेपाल प्रिमियर लिगis a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in Nepal, organised by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Founded in 2024, it features eight franchise teams representing major cities and provinces of Nepal, and operates as the country's premier professional cricket competition with a professional structure with player auctions, and franchise ownership models.
The tournament is held annually between October and December and follows a round-robin format followed by playoffs. As of 2025, two seasons have been played and two teams have won the title once: Janakpur Bolts (2024) and Lumbini Lions (2025). The next season will be held from October 26 to November 21 in 2026.
History Background
In 2022, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) organised the Nepal T20 League after signing a agreement with the Indian sports management company Seven3Sports to host a professional 20-over limited-overs cricket league in Nepal for one year. However, the league was marred by several controversies and allegations, including match-fixing and corruption.
The match between Kathmandu Knights and Biratnagar Super Kings on 3 January 2023 was delayed by two hours after players refused to take the field due to unpaid salaries. Players had been contracted to receive 40% of their payments before the start of the tournament and the remaining 60% during the event. Only players from Pokhara Avengers and Lumbini All Stars had received 50% of their contracted amount, while others had received nothing. The game resumed after CAN officials assured the players that their payments would be processed.
On 4 January 2023, the captain of Kathmandu Knights Gyanendra Malla revealed that one of his teammates had been approached with a match‑fixing proposal and that the matter had been reported to the tournament's anti‑corruption unit. The incident was reported to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, which subsequently dispatched a team to Nepal to investigate the allegations. The Central Investigation Bureau also formed specialized teams to look into the claims. The Bureau's preliminary investigation revealed that three Nepali and four foreign players were under surveillance for suspected spot-fixing. Evidence also suggested that the event's management company Seven3Sports was involved in the wrongdoing. As a result, the league was ultimately shut down.
Foundation of the tournament Following the Nepal national cricket team's qualification for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, the CAN announced the launch of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) in January 2024, scheduled for November and December. On 2 August 2024, CAN invited proposals for franchise ownership, later confirming that the 2024 NPL would feature eight teams, each representing a major city in Nepal. This marked an expansion from previous competitions such as Everest Premier League and Nepal T20 League, which featured six teams.
To determine team ownership, CAN held a franchise auction on 5 September 2024. All eight teams were sold through a bidding process for a combined total of . The franchise representing Pokhara fetched the highest price at bought by Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. It was followed by the Kathmandu franchise, sold for to Kantipur Publications. The team representing Karnali received the lowest successful bid of from Himalayan Builders.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been closely evaluating the tournament's safety, professional organization, and overall infrastructure. According to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) leadership, the ICC indicated that after evaluating the success and governance of the second season, full structural sanctioning and official T20 status are planned for the upcoming third season.
Organization The CAN is responsible for the league's overall functions; it organises, manages, and runs the league. As of December 2025, its members included: Chatur Bahadur Chand – President, CAN Roshan Kumar Singh – Vice President, CAN Paras Khadka – Secretary, CAN Padam Bahadur Khadka – Treasurer, CAN Jayanti Devi Bhatta – Member Dhirendra Saud – Member Durga Raj Pathak – Member
Squads A team can acquire players through the annual player auction, personally signing overseas players and signing unsold players from the auction as replacements for bought players who are unavailable for the season.
Marquee player Each NPL team is assigned one marquee player through a random draw system. The allocation is fixed for a three-year cycle, after which a new draw takes place. This system was intended to maintain competitive balance, though it limits franchise control over top player selection.
Player acquisition For the 2025 NPL season, the total auction purse for each team was . Each squad must have a squad of 16 players, with the maximum of six foreign players.
Auction Before the auction, franchises are allowed to retain a limited number of players from their previous season squad. Retention rules are announced prior to each auction and may vary by season. Salaries of retained players are deducted from the team's auction purse. Players not retained enter the auction pool along with new registered players. Each player is given a base price, and franchises bid for them during the auction. The highest bidding franchise secures the player, and the final bid becomes the player's season salary. Unsold players may later be signed as replacement players during the tournament, subject to league approval. In some seasons, a mega auction format may be introduced where franchises must release a larger portion of their squads to ensure parity.
Summary Seasons + Details of Nepal Premier League seasons # Year Dates Venues Teams Matches 1 2024 30 November 2024 Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur 8 32 2 2025 17 November 2025
Final results + Details of Nepal Premier League finals Year Final Date & Venue Winner Victory margin Runner-up 2024 Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Janakpur Bolts185/5 (19.2 overs) 5 wickets Sudurpaschim Royals184/9 (20 overs) 2024 NPL final Scorecard, 2025 Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Lumbini Lions86/4 (9 overs) 6 wickets Sudurpaschim Royals85 (19.1 overs) 2025 NPL final Scorecard,
Teams The league has eight teams based in provinces and cities across Nepal. The franchise, known as Kathmandu Gurkhas in 2024, was renamed Kathmandu Gorkhas in 2025 to better reflect Nepal's roots, according to franchise CEO Suraj Singh Thakuri.
+ Details of Nepal Premier League teams Team City Debut Captain Head coach Owner(s) Auction bid Biratnagar Kings Biratnagar, Koshi Province Sandeep Lamichhane Dhammika Prasad M.A.D. Dream Sports Chitwan Rhinos Bharatpur, Bagmati Province Kushal Malla Kalam Ali Chitwan Medical College Janakpur Bolts Janakpur, Madhesh Province Wayne Parnell Shivnarine Chanderpaul Dream Sports Karnali Yaks Birendranagar, Karnali Province Sompal Kami Gyanendra Malla Himalayan Builders Kathmandu Gorkhas Kathmandu, Bagmati Province Karan KC Monty Desai Kathmandu Sports Development Venture Lumbini Lions Siddharthanagar, Lumbini Province Rohit Paudel Tinu Yohannan Fortuna Health Care Pokhara Avengers Pokhara, Gandaki Province Kushal Bhurtel Rajiv Kumar Nepal T20 Cricket Pvt. Ltd. Sudurpaschim Royals Dhangadhi, Sudurpashchim Province Dipendra Singh Airee Jagat Tamata Empire Sports
Team performances By season An overview of the teams' performances in every Nepal Premier League is given below. Legend
+ Team performances in each Nepal Premier League season 2024 2025 Biratnagar Kings R1 PO 2 Chitwan Rhinos PO R1 2 Janakpur Bolts C R1 2 Kathmandu Gorkhas R1 PO 2 Karnali Yaks PO R1 2 Lumbini Lions R1 C 2 Pokhara Avengers R1 R1 2 Sudurpaschim Royals RU RU 2
Overall
The table below provides a summary of the performances of teams over past Nepal Premier League seasons.
+ Overall team performances in Nepal Premier League seasons Team Won Lost NR Win % Best performance Janakpur Bolts 2 17 8 9 0 47.05 Champions (2024) Lumbini Lions 2 17 8 9 0 47.05 Champions (2025) Sudurpaschim Royals 2 18 14 4 0 77.77 Runners-up (2024, 2025) Biratnagar Kings 2 16 7 9 0 43.75 Playoffs (2025) Karnali Yaks 2 16 7 9 0 43.75 Playoffs (2024) Chitwan Rhinos 2 15 6 9 0 40.00 Playoffs (2024) Biratnagar Kings 2 15 6 9 0 40.00 Playoffs (2025) Pokhara Avengers 2 14 4 9 0 28.57 League stage (2024, 2025) As of 2025 Nepal Premier LeagueSource:
Records
Source: Records extracted from ESPNcricinfo.
Team records Record for Record holder Record Season(s) Highest team total Biratnagar Kings (v Pokhara Avengers) at 220/6 2025 Lowest team total Janakpur Bolts (v Sudurpaschim Royals) at 51 2024
Batting records Record for Record holder Record Season(s) Most runs Rohit Paudel (Lumbini Lions) 555 2024 – 2025 Most runs in a season Adam Rossington (Pokhara Avengers) 323 2025 Highest score Mark Watt (Karnali Yaks) v Lumbini Lions at 114* 2025 Most centuries Andries Gous (Pokhara Avengers) 1 Mark Watt (Karnali Yaks) Adam Rossington (Pokhara Avengers)
Bowling records Record for Record holder Record Season(s) Most wickets Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim Royals) 27 2024 – 2025 Most wickets in a season Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim Royals) 17 2024 Lalit Rajbanshi (Janakpur Bolts) Abinash Bohara (Sudurpaschim Royals) 2025 Sandeep Lamichhane (Biratnagar Kings) Sher Malla (Lumbini Lions) Best bowling figures v at
Fielding records Record for Record holder Record Season(s) Most wicket-keeper dismissals Binod Bhandari (Sudurpaschim Royals) 14 2024 – 2025 Most wicket-keeper dismissals in a season Most catches Anil Sah (Janakpur Bolts) 14 2024 – 2025
End of season awards Prize money The distribution of the prize money pool of is as follows: Winning team: Runner-up team: Third-place team: Fourth-place team:
MCC Spirit of Cricket Award The MCC Nepal Premier League Spirit of Cricket Award was introduced in the Nepal Premier League from its second season following a collaboration between the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The award is presented to the franchise that best upholds values such as fair play, respect, and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
+ Winners of the MCC Spirit of Cricket Award Season Winner 2024 Lumbini Lions 2025 Kathmandu Gorkhas
Platinum cap The "platinum cap" is awarded to the highest run-scorer at the end of each NPL.
+ Winners of the platinum cap Season Winner 2024 2025 Adam Rossington
Golden cap The "golden cap" is awarded to the leading wicket-taker in a NPL season.
+ Winners of the golden cap Season Winner 2024 2025 Sandeep Lamichhane
Most valuable player The "most valuable player" award is presented to the best overall performer in each NPL season, based on batting, bowling, and overall match impact.
+ Winners of the most valuable player awards Season Winner 2024 2025
Title sponsorship Siddhartha Bank was announced as the title sponsor of the NPL ahead of its inaugural season in 2024, after signing a five-year agreement with the CAN. As a result of the deal the NPL is branded as the "Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League" for a five-year period from 2024 to 2029. Reports indicated that the agreement represented the highest-ever investment in Nepali sports, with estimates of a total commitment around over five years, aimed at supporting the development and commercial growth of cricket in Nepal.
Broadcasting The CAN announced its television rights partnership with Star Sports and Himalaya sports Over-the-top media rights to Net TV Nepal for the third season.
+ Broadcasters for the 2025 season Country Television broadcast Streaming platform Nepal Star SportsHimalaya sports NET TV India Star Sports Willow (TV channel) FanCode Bangladesh Bhutan Sri Lanka Maldives Middle East NET TV
See also Cricket in Nepal Sports in Nepal – An overview of sports culture in Nepal Prime Minister Cup
References
External links