NPL Season 3 of the Nepal Premier League 2026 schedule confirmed: eight franchises, 32 matches, one venue, and a 27-day window running October 26 to November 21. With the July 6 auction now behind them, squads are largely set—here's how the format works and where each team stands heading into the tournament.

Format: Round-Robin Into a Four-Team Playoff

Every franchise plays seven group-stage matches in a single round-robin, adding up to 28 league games. The top four teams by net run rate move into an IPL-style playoff:

All 32 matches — group stage and playoffs — are hosted at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

Venue: Floodlights Bring Day-Night Cricket to Kirtipur

TU Ground's upgrade is the story behind the schedule. New floodlight towers make official day-night NPL matches possible for the first time, which is why fixtures split cleanly into two windows: 11:45 AM afternoon starts and 4:00 PM or 5:30 PM evening starts, often paired as weekend doubleheaders. Spectator capacity has also grown — reported at "beyond 10,000," broadly in line with the ~13,000 figure we've verified elsewhere for the current ground.

Unverified single-source detail: the specific claim of "six floodlight towers with 420 fixtures" comes from one outlet only — treat as provisional.

Team-by-Team: Where Squads Stand After the Auction

Lumbini Lions enter as defending champions. Captain Rohit Paudel was retained, and the squad added wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh in the auction — reportedly for NPR 20 lakh, though this figure isn't independently confirmed. Their opening fixtures against Sudurpaschim Royals and Janakpur Bolts — the last two finalists and the Season 1 champions, respectively — are an early litmus test.

Sudurpaschim Royals, back-to-back finalists, remain one of the tournament's strongest all-round units heading into Season 3.

Janakpur Bolts rebuilt after releasing Aasif Sheikh, retaining Anil Kumar Sah and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and adding all-rounder Trit Raj Das plus Category C signings Rit Gautam and Santosh Karki. With only seven group games, a slow start could cost them a playoff spot outright.

Kathmandu Gorkhas, led by Karan KC, retained international leg-spin option Rashid Khan alongside Dipesh Kandel and Bhim Sharki, then added Mohammad Adil Alam and Aakash Tripathi in the auction. The squad is built around spin control and middle-order stability.

Pokhara Avengers, captained by Kushal Bhurtel, added wicketkeeper-batter Arjun Gharti plus Sudip Aryal and Vivek Kumar Ranmagar. Their game plan leans on fast powerplay starts before Kirtipur's surface slows down in the afternoon heat.

Biratnagar Kings, under national leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, added seamer Rupesh Kumar Singh and batter Sujan Thapaliya. Expect their strategy to lean on spin through the middle overs on Kirtipur's drier surfaces.

Karnali Yaks, led by all-rounder Sompal Kami, retained Gulshan Kumar Jha and Nandan Yadav and added all-rounder Pawan Sarraf.

Chitwan Rhinos, captained by Kushal Malla, retained Gautam KC and Rijan Dhakal and signed Arjun Saud and Dev Khanal.

Note: individual auction purse figures above (NPR 15 lakh, NPR 7 lakh, NPR 4.25 lakh, etc.) are reported by a single outlet and haven't been cross-checked against statsnpl.com — flag as provisional if reused elsewhere.

Ticketing and Broadcast

Digital-only ticketing covers all 32 matches, with general parapet, premium and season-pass options. Kantipur Max carries live domestic TV coverage in Nepali and English, while DishHome Go and the official YouTube channel handle streaming for the Nepali diaspora abroad. (Full pricing breakdown: see our NPL 2026 Tickets guide.)