The second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) is set to bring back high-voltage T20 action to Nepal, as the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) officially announced the full schedule for the 2025 edition.

The Siddhartha Bank NPL 2025 will run from 17 November to 13 December, featuring 32 matches, including 28 league games and four playoffs, all at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Building on the success of its debut season last year, NPL Season 2 promises more competition, international stars, and greater fan engagement.

Eight regional franchises will once again participate:

Each team will play the others once in the league stage before the top four qualify for the playoffs. Defending champions Janakpur Bolts, led by Aasif Sheikh, will aim to retain their crown. The Bolts lifted the inaugural title in 2024 by chasing down 185 against the Sudurpaschim Royals in just 19.2 overs. Adding to their strength, West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul joins them as head coach this season.

Global Stars Arrive

This year’s NPL will see even more international presence. The biggest headline comes from Biratnagar Kings, who have signed former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, alongside other international names like Martin Guptill, Marchant de Lange, and George Munsey.

Players such as Ravi Bopara, Dawid Malan, Wayne Parnell, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, and Chris Lynn will also feature across teams, making it the most star-studded NPL yet.

Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025 – Full Schedule

Playoffs Schedule

Team Squads (Full List)

Biratnagar Kings

Sandeep Lamichhane (c), Basir Ahamad, Lokesh Bam (wk), Subash Bhandari, Naren Bhatta, Marchant de Lange, Faf du Plessis, Martin Guptill, Pratish GC, Sam Heazlett, Narayan Joshi, Shrawan Kisku, George Munsey, Sahil Patel (wk), Shankar Rana, Surya Tamang

Chitwan Rhinos

Kushal Malla (c), Bipin Acharya, Kamal Singh Airee, Deepak Bohara, Ravi Bopara, Rijan Dhakal, Gautam KC, Dev Khanal, Ranjeet Kumar, Dawid Malan, Alpesh Ramjani, Amar Rautela, Bipin Rawal (wk), Arjun Saud (wk), Sohail Tanvir, Saif Zaib

Janakpur Bolts

Aasif Sheikh (c, wk), Rupesh Singh, Imran Tahir, Tul Thapa, Mayan Yadav, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Sompal Kami, Will Bosisto, Deepak Dumre (wk), Arjun Gharti (wk), Gulshan Jha, Yuvraj Khatri, Max O'Dowd, Dipendra Rawat, Pawan Sarraf, Bipin Sharma

Karnali Yaks

Sompal Kami (c), Will Bosisto, Deepak Dumre (wk), Arjun Gharti (wk), Gulshan Jha, Yuvraj Khatri, Max O'Dowd, Dipendra Rawat, Pawan Sarraf, Bipin Sharma, Imran Sheikh, Unish Thakuri, Mark Watt, Nandan Yadav

Kathmandu Gorkhas

Karan KC (c), Mohammad Aadil Alam, Shahab Alam, Ben Charlesworth, Gerhard Erasmus, Dipesh Kandel, Milind Kumar, Rashid Khan, Uttam Magar (wk), Sunny Patel, Natarajan Shah, Bhim Sharki, John Simpson (wk), Pratik Shrestha, Aakash Tripathi, Tul B Thapa

Lumbini Lions

Rohit Paudel (c), Dinesh Adhikari, Tilak Bhandari, Thomas Draca, Abhishesh Gautam, Durgesh Gupta, Sundeep Jora, Aadil Khan, Sher Malla, Gulbadin Naib, Dilip Nath (wk), Bishal Patel, D'Arcy Short, Bibek Yadav

Pokhara Avengers

Kushal Bhurtel (c), Aakash Chand, Sandeep Chhetri, Trit Raj Das, Sagar Dhakal, Dinesh Kharel, Bipin Khatri, Arjun Kumal, Krishna Poudel, Raymon Reifer, Adam Rossington (wk), Kiran Thagunna, Abhisekh Tiwari

Sudurpaschim Royals

Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Binod Bhandari (wk), Abinash Bohara, Dipak Bohara (wk), Milan Bohara, Hemant Dhami, Scott Kuggeleijn, Chris Lynn, Hikmat Mahara, Ishan Pandey, Tek Rawat (wk), Naren Saud, Harmeet Singh, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Thapa (wk), Josh Brown

Tournament Format

• League Stage: 28 matches (each team plays 7)
• Playoffs: Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and Final
• Top 4 teams qualify for playoffs
• All matches live from Kirtipur under lights

What to Expect

With international stars like Faf du Plessis, Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Dawid Malan, and Imran Tahir joining the action, NPL 2025 promises to be the most exciting edition yet, one that could elevate Nepal’s domestic cricket to a new global stage.