Lumbini Lions v Sudurpaschim Royals: a final rematch to open NPL 2026

The third Nepal Premier League opens with the fixture everyone wanted. Champions Lumbini Lions face Sudurpaschim Royals, the team they beat in last year's final, at Kirtipur on Monday 26 October at 4:30 PM.

The 2025 final on 13 December was one-sided. Sudurpaschim chose to bat and were bowled out for 85 in 19.1 overs. Captain Rohit Paudel took 3 for 12, including a hat-trick, and Ruben Trumpelmann conceded almost nothing in a spell that earned him the player of the match award. Dinesh Adhikari then hit four sixes in the first over of the chase, and the Lions won by six wickets inside nine overs.

For Sudurpaschim it was a second straight final defeat. They also lost the 2024 final to Janakpur Bolts, despite topping the league table in 2025 with six wins from seven matches.

The champions have kept the core of their title-winning side together. Trumpelmann, the Namibian left-arm seamer who was named player of the series last season, has been retained, and so has Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella. Australia's D'Arcy Short is also part of the squad.

Their biggest move came at the auction, where they bought national team opener Aasif Sheikh for Rs 2 million, the highest price allowed, after he was released by Janakpur. Sheikh joins Paudel at the top of a batting order that already looked strong.

Sher Malla, who shared the most wickets last season with 17, gives Paudel another proven wicket-taker.

The Royals are led again by Dipendra Singh Airee and coached by former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Their bowling, which carried them to the top of the table last year, is largely intact: Abinash Bohara, joint leading wicket-taker with 17, Hemant Dhami and Hikmat Mahara have all been retained.

New Zealand fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn returns for his third NPL season with the club. Without Harmeet Singh, who has moved to Janakpur as captain, the Royals will need others to fill the overs he used to bowl.

Last year's final turned on Sudurpaschim's top order failing against Lumbini's new-ball and spin attack. If Airee and Ishan Pandey, the Royals' top scorer in the final with 33, can see off the early overs, Sudurpaschim have the bowlers to defend a total at Kirtipur.

Match 1, Nepal Premier League 2026. Lumbini Lions v Sudurpaschim Royals, Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Monday 26 October, 4:30 PM NPT.