NPL 2026 team guide: captains, coaches and key players for all eight sides
Who leads each team, who coaches them, how they finished last season and the signings to watch in Season 3.
Eight teams, 28 league matches and four playoff places. Here is where every side stands before the third Nepal Premier League starts on 26 October. Finishing positions are from the 2025 league table.
Lumbini Lions (champions)
Captain: Rohit Paudel. Head coach: Tinu Yohannan. Last season: 4th in the league, then won the title.
The Lions won the Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the final to take their first trophy. They have kept player of the series Ruben Trumpelmann and Niroshan Dickwella, and added Aasif Sheikh for the auction's top price of Rs 2 million.
Sudurpaschim Royals
Captain: Dipendra Singh Airee. Head coach: Misbah-ul-Haq. Last season: 1st, runners-up.
Runners-up in both seasons so far. Their retained bowling attack of Abinash Bohara, Hemant Dhami and Hikmat Mahara was the best in the league last year, and New Zealand's Scott Kuggeleijn returns.
Biratnagar Kings
Captain: Sandeep Lamichhane. Last season: 2nd, lost Qualifier 2.
Lamichhane shared the most wickets last season with 17. The Kings were the only team to beat Sudurpaschim in the 2025 league stage and will expect to be in the top four again.
Kathmandu Gorkhas
Captain: Karan KC. Head coach: Monty Desai. Last season: 3rd, lost the Eliminator.
The Gorkhas have made the signing of the season in David Warner, alongside India's KS Bharat and Sri Lanka's Sahan Arachchige. Shahab Alam took the first hat-trick in NPL history for them last year.
Pokhara Avengers
Captain: Kushal Bhurtel. Head coach: Ajantha Mendis. Last season: 5th.
Still looking for a first playoff appearance. Shakib Al Hasan and the returning Dhananjaya Lakshan give them two quality overseas all-rounders, though Shakib's availability for the full season is not yet certain.
Karnali Yaks
Captain: Sompal Kami. Head coach: Gyanendra Malla. Last season: 6th.
Led by two experienced national team figures. Karnali produced the breakout star of the first season, 16-year-old spinner Bipin Sharma, and Scotland's Mark Watt adds overseas spin.
Chitwan Rhinos
Captain: Kushal Malla. Last season: 7th.
Malla, one of Nepal's most powerful hitters, is the team's leading name. Chitwan open against Biratnagar on 27 October and need a much better start than last season.
Janakpur Bolts
Captain: Harmeet Singh. Head coach: Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Last season: 8th.
The 2024 champions finished last in 2025 and have rebuilt heavily, retaining only five players. Their overseas group is the deepest in the league: Harmeet Singh, Jimmy Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed and Moeen Ali.
Squads can still change before the first ball, especially for overseas players who also play in other leagues. Our team pages are updated as changes are confirmed.
