KATHMANDU: Lumbini Lions have retained marquee player Rohit Paudel and six others for Season 3 of the Nepal Premier League.
The franchise announced its retained list through a social media post. Rohit, Sundeep Jora, Sher Malla, Dinesh Adhikari, Dilip Nath, Abhishesh Gautam and Tilak Bhandari will continue with the Lions.
The announcement comes after the most dramatic turnaround in NPL history.
Lumbini finished seventh in the first NPL season in 2024 and missed the playoffs. Their campaign lacked consistency, and the Lions managed only two wins from seven league matches.
That first season left Lumbini near the bottom of the table. But the franchise kept faith in Rohit as its central figure and returned with a stronger squad in Season 2.
The 2025 campaign also started with pressure. Lumbini won their first match but then lost three in a row, leaving their season on the edge.
From there, the Lions produced a remarkable recovery. They won six straight matches, including the playoffs, to lift their maiden NPL title.
Lumbini defeated Biratnagar Kings in the knockout stage and then stunned table-toppers Sudurpaschim Royals in the final at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
The final was one-sided. Lumbini bowled Sudurpaschim out for 85 in 19.1 overs before chasing 86/4 in only nine overs to win by six wickets with 66 balls to spare.
Rohit played the defining all-round role in the final. He took 3/12 in four overs, including a hat-trick that broke Sudurpaschim’s middle order.
Ruben Trumpelmann finished with 3/3, while Sher Malla took 3/18 and Abhisesh Gautam picked up 2/15.
Dinesh then killed the chase in the first over. He smashed 42 off 13 balls, including four sixes and one four, as Lumbini raced to 50 in 3.3 overs.
The Lions also swept major individual awards. Trumpelmann was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, while Rohit finished as the highest Nepali run-scorer of the tournament.
Sher and Tilak also had standout seasons. Sher was one of Lumbini’s most reliable bowlers, while Tilak was named Emerging Player of the Tournament.
Across two seasons, Lumbini have played 17 NPL matches, winning nine and losing eight. Their record tells the story of two different teams: a struggling side in 2024 and a champion side in 2025.
