Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gurkhas Match Preview – NPL 2026 Match 5

Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gurkhas match preview for NPL 2026 Match 5: the lunchtime fixture of day four, Season 1 champions Janakpur against a Kathmandu side opening its campaign at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Thursday 29 October at 12:30 PM NST, with the head-to-head level at 1-1.

Match Details

Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gurkhas Match Preview: Lunchtime Fixture, Day Four Opener

Both sides arrive at this fixture from different places in the week. Janakpur opened their campaign on Tuesday against Karnali in the evening game; Kathmandu open theirs here, in the first game of Thursday’s double-header, with Karnali against Biratnagar to follow at 5:00 PM. A 12:30 PM start means most of the game is played in daylight, so the evening dew question that shapes night games does not apply here.

Two points go to the winner, and with only the top four of eight reaching the playoffs from seven league games each, an early win carries real weight. The last two meetings were both won by five wickets, one each; this one has the same shape.

Janakpur Bolts Preview: Champions Rebuilding, Second Game In

Captain Harmeet Singh, the USA all-rounder, leads five retained players (Anil Kumar Sah, Lalit Rajbanshi, Mayan Yadav, Aaditya Mahata and Bikash Aagri) with Shivnarine Chanderpaul as coach. The 17-man squad has five retained, eight auction buys and four overseas signings: Harmeet, Iftikhar Ahmed, Moeen Ali and Jimmy Neesham.

Rajbanshi, the leg-spinner, is the side’s marquee player after Janakpur became the first NPL team to release its marquee and hand him the honour. Janakpur arrive as Season 1 champions, but the rebuild is real: they finished last in Season 2 with a single win, then tore up the squad. Their Tuesday opener against Karnali is their first outing of the season; Karnali won it by 19 runs (132 for 9 against Janakpur's 113 all out).

Kathmandu Gurkhas Preview: Warner’s First Game

Kathmandu open their Season 3 campaign here. Captain Karan KC, retained, leads a 17-man squad of six retained players, seven auction buys and four overseas signings, with Monty Desai as coach. Auction spend was NPR 17 lakh, with NPR 17 lakh of purse left.

The marquee signing is David Warner of Australia, the left-handed opener, with nearly 19,000 international runs and 49 centuries across 383 matches for Australia, two ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he was Player of the Tournament. The other overseas signings are wicketkeeper-batter K.S. Bharat, all-rounder Sahan Arachchige and batter William Bosisto. Retained names include Bhim Sharki alongside the captain; auction buys include wicketkeeper Sahil Patel and bowler Dayanand Mandal. The target is a first title; the first step is beating the Season 1 champions.

Key Battles: Three Duels

Warner against Janakpur’s overseas all-round attack comes first: Moeen Ali, Neesham and Harmeet all bowl as well as bat, and Warner has never faced this franchise in this tournament. Second, Rajbanshi’s leg-spin against Kathmandu’s middle order, Bharat, Arachchige and Bosisto, with the game likely decided between overs seven and fifteen.

Third, the new ball: Karan KC against Janakpur’s top order, Anil Kumar Sah, Mayan Yadav and Trit Raj Das, in daylight conditions where the ball should move early.

Players to Watch: NPL 2026 Match 5

Janakpur: Moeen Ali (two-time World Cup winner), Neesham (247 runs at a strike rate of 196.0 in Season 1 for this franchise) and Harmeet Singh (captain, USA spinner).

Kathmandu: Warner (marquee opener), Bharat (wicketkeeper-batter) and Arachchige (all-rounder).

Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gurkhas Head-to-Head: 1-1

Two meetings, one win each, and both were won by five wickets.

Venue and Conditions: TU Ground, Kirtipur

All 32 Season 3 matches are at the TU Ground in Kirtipur. The record book: Biratnagar’s 220 for 6 against Pokhara (18 November 2025) is the highest total, Janakpur’s 51 all out the lowest, Mark Watt’s 114 not out the highest individual score.

The 12:30 PM start makes this a day game: most of it is played in daylight, so evening dew is not a factor the way it is under floodlights. No verified forecast for Kirtipur on Thursday 29 October was available when this article was written.

Tactical Outlook: Day Game, Bat First?

Without evening dew, the toss is less decisive here than under lights, and the side batting first can set a total without worrying about defending it in wet conditions. First-innings runs still set the game up, but the side chasing knows exactly what it needs.

The powerplay is the first battleground; the second is overs seven to fifteen, spin against Kathmandu’s middle order.

Expected Playing XI

Probable XIs, confirmed at the toss. See our predicted playing XIs.

The overseas question shapes both sides: Janakpur carry four overseas players, Harmeet, Iftikhar, Moeen and Neesham, and Kathmandu carry four, Warner, Bharat, Arachchige and Bosisto, the maximum allowed in an XI. Harmeet (USA) gives Janakpur an Associate-nation overseas player.

Where to Watch Live

In Nepal: Himalaya Sports TV. Elsewhere: NetTV (worldwide OTT rights; Nepal pass Rs 400, Middle East Rs 600, USA/Europe/Australia/Japan/Korea US$10). In India: FanCode Tour Pass (₹89), plus Star Sports Select 2/2 HD on TV in India and South Asia. Details in our live streaming; ball-by-ball scores free on the live scores.

Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gorkhas – Who will win?

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