At the end of October 2026, the third season of the Nepal Premier League will begin. It is the country's main national tournament, drawing enormous interest beyond the local audience. As fans await the long-anticipated spectacle, they are sharing predictions and placing bets on the tournament winner at 1xBet Nepal. For now, let's recall how the competition is organised and what format it uses.
First, a little history. The launch of NPL T20 was officially announced in January 2024. The main change from the Everest Premier League and Nepal T20 League, which preceded it, was an expansion to eight teams. The new format became as close as possible to the famous IPL. The first edition was won by the Janakpur Bolts franchise. In 2025, the Lumbini Lions celebrated winning the league. On 1xBet's Nepali site, you can try to guess the name of the 2026 champion and also bet on individual matches.
NPL 2026: teams, venue and schedule
Eight teams (franchises) take part in the tournament:
- Biratnagar Kings;
- Chitwan Rhinos;
- Janakpur Bolts;
- Lumbini Lions;
- Karnali Yaks;
- Kathmandu Gorkhas;
- Pokhara Avengers;
- Sudurpaschim Royals.
All matches—32 in total—will be played at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground (Kirtipur, Kathmandu) from 26 October to 21 November.
The tournament begins with a single round-robin league stage, in which each team plays the other seven teams once. The top four will continue their pursuit of the trophy in the playoffs. The top two teams will meet in Qualifier 1, with the winner advancing directly to the final. The losing team will get a second chance by playing the winner of the match between the third- and fourth-placed teams. The final could therefore be a rematch between the teams that contested Qualifier 1.
The playoff participants will share a prize pool of NPR 2.01 crore. More than half of this money will go to the champion (NPR 1.10 crore). The second-placed team will receive NPR 51 lakh, the third-placed team NPR 25 lakh, and the fourth-placed team NPR 15 lakh. Individual awards will also be presented. The player with the most runs will receive the Platinum cap. The leading wicket-taker will get the Golden cap. The Most Valuable Player will be recognised separately.
In addition to local talent, fans will see invited overseas stars on the field in the 2026 season:
- Shakib Al Hasan (Pokhara);
- Dhananjaya Lakshan (Pokhara);
- Scott Kuggeleijn (Sudurpaschim);
- Jimmy Neesham (Janakpur);
- K. S. Bharat (Kathmandu);
- Niroshan Dickwella (Lumbini);
- David Warner (Kathmandu).
This is a traditional practice in the Nepal Premier League, intended to raise the standard of the competition and spectator interest.
The NPL has yet to achieve the international stature of established franchise leagues such as the IPL, PSL and BBL. But it is a very promising league, developing rapidly and enormously popular in Nepal.