The third edition of the Nepal Premier League will run from October 26 to November 21, Cricket Association of Nepal confirmed on Saturday, moving the franchise tournament out of its usual December slot and into the window between Dashain and Tihar.
The season will not pause for the festival period beyond two days during the core of Tihar. Tihar falls between November 6 and 12. Franchises completed the domestic auction on July 6 and are still closing out their overseas signings. The fixture list has not been released.
The Tribhuvan University (TU) International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur is again expected to be the sole venue, which would make it three seasons out of three.
A new wicket, and not much time
The bigger story is under the players' feet. The Kirtipur square is being rebuilt for the first time since 2020, CAN vice-president Roshan Kumar Singh told Kantipur. Ground staff stripped the damaged soil down to the roots before relaying turf, and the grassing work on the Kirtipur wicket was completed on Friday.
Singh, who is also CAN's coordinator for the ICC Under-19 Women's World Cup, put the combined cost of the wicket work at Kirtipur and Mulpani at Rs 7-8 million, excluding other infrastructure. CAN is funding it from its own resources and expects the ICC to reimburse.
The timeline is tight. Curator Madhu Tamang's team ideally needs four months for the grass roots to reach four inches, the depth at which the soil binds and the surface holds together. There are roughly two and a half months until the NPL starts. Local dubo grass has been used; Singh said Bermuda grass would have lasted longer. Grass grown inside the 30-yard circle was lifted and replanted on the square, and will need two to three weeks before it can be cut, levelled and fertilised.
Singh's own forecast, based on how the ground has behaved before, is that the grass may survive around two weeks into the tournament before the surface flattens out.
Why franchises will be watching
That prediction matters because it has happened before. Kirtipur was left green for the inaugural NPL and squads were built for it, loaded with pace. Scott Kuggeleijn at Sudurpaschim Royals, Sohail Tanvir and Rijhan Dhakal at Chitwan Rhinos, Kishore Mahato at Janakpur Bolts and Karan KC at Kathmandu Gorkhas all found early reward. Within a week the grass was gone, the pitch flattened, and spin took over — Lalit Rajbanshi at Janakpur, Bipin Sharma at Karnali Yaks and Saif Zaib at Sudurpaschim among those who profited, along with their teams.
Janakpur Bolts won the first title and Lumbini Lions the second. Sudurpaschim Royals finished runner-up on both occasions.
Mulpani being built for January
The work is not only for the NPL. Kirtipur, Upper Mulpani and Lower Mulpani are all being prepared for the 16-nation ICC Under-19 Women's World Cup, co-hosted by Nepal and Bangladesh and expected in January, with eight teams in each country and Nepal entering directly as host. It is the largest tournament Nepal has staged. The ICC has not published the schedule.
Eight pitches are being laid at Kirtipur, seven at Upper Mulpani and six at Lower Mulpani, with curators Prafulla Pradhan and Bangladesh's Mohammad Abdul Al Mamun working on the Mulpani grounds. Kirtipur will seat 12,000 and Lower Mulpani 5,000, with a temporary 2,000-capacity stand planned at Upper Mulpani. Only Kirtipur is due to be ready before Dashain.
Dressing room, ice bath, dining hall and VIP box work at Kirtipur follows once the on-ground preparation is done, Singh said, with security arrangements to be finalised after ICC representatives arrive.
