Lumbini Lions have retained Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella for the third edition of the Nepal Premier League, keeping the man who turned around their title-winning campaign last season back in the squad for NPL 2026.

Dickwella did not start NPL Season 2 with Lumbini. He joined the franchise mid-tournament, after the team had lost three of its opening four group-stage matches and looked in danger of missing the playoffs. From the moment he came in, Lumbini did not lose again—winning all six of their remaining matches, including the final, to lift the NPL Season 2 title unbeaten with Dickwella on the side.

His numbers backed up the impact. Across six matches, Dickwella scored 137 runs at a strike rate above 122, with a batting average of 34.25—the highest average among Lumbini's squad that season, even though teammates Rohit Paudel (276 runs) and D'Arcy Short (256 runs) outscored him in total volume.

Some of his innings came at the sharpest moments of the tournament. In Qualifier 2, he made 29 off 22 balls to help Lumbini defend a total of 134. In the group-stage win over Biratnagar, he was unbeaten on 29 off 22. Against the Pokhara Avengers, he hit 37 off 22 balls, his highest individual score in the competition. In the final itself, he closed out the chase with an unbeaten 11 off 12 as Lumbini sealed the title.

Lumbini Lions chairman Ishwar GC confirmed the retention, citing Dickwella's role as both a batsman and a unifying figure in the dressing room.

"We are delighted to welcome Niroshan Dickwella back to Lumbini Lions. In the last edition, he not only performed individually but also played an important role in uniting the team," GC said. "He is a champion player because he has not lost any match while playing for the Lumbini Lions. Lions expect him to play the same role in this edition as well."

The 33-year-old is currently on the Dambulla Sixers' roster in the ongoing Lanka Premier League. Internationally, he has played 54 Tests, 55 ODIs, and 28 T20Is for Sri Lanka.

One number stands out beyond what Lumbini has publicized: Dickwella's unbeaten record with the franchise is a perfect one—zero defeats in any match he has featured in for Lumbini Lions across NPL history, group stage and knockouts included. For a team building its NPL Season 3 campaign around continuity from a title-winning core, that record is arguably the strongest single argument for his retention.

With NPL Season 3 set for October 26–November 21, 2026, Lumbini's decision to keep Dickwella signals they're building their top order and wicketkeeping around the same combination that delivered the crown last time out.