Nepal to Host ICC Asia Conference November 19-21 During NPL Season 3

The Cricket Association of Nepal has confirmed that the ICC Asia Conference will take place in Nepal from November 19 to 21, 2026, bringing administrators from across the continent to Kathmandu just as the Nepal Premier League reaches its knockout stage.

CAN Announces the Region's Biggest Cricket Gathering

Nepal will host the ICC Asia Conference from November 19 to 21, 2026, the Cricket Association of Nepal announced on Friday, October 16. The International Cricket Council will organise the three-day conference in collaboration with CAN, which will manage the event on the ground in Nepal.

The conference brings cricket administrators from across Asia to Nepal during the closing stages of the Nepal Premier League. Representatives from the continent's Test-playing nations and Associate Members are expected to attend, alongside senior figures from the wider global cricket community, making it one of the most significant administrative gatherings Nepal has ever hosted.

Delegates are expected to begin arriving on November 17, two days before the sessions start. Their visit will not be limited to meeting rooms: CAN has arranged for the conference guests to watch the Eliminator and the final of the third Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League, tying the administrative showcase directly to the country's premier franchise competition.

Discussions across the three days will centre on cricket development, regional cooperation and the sustainable growth of the sport, according to both reports. The agenda gives CAN a rare home-ground platform to pitch Nepal's case on development funding, regional fixtures and closer cooperation with the sport's established boards.

What the Conference Means for Nepali Cricket

CAN secretary Paras Khadka described the hosting rights as a breakthrough for the country, saying the event would open up new avenues for the sport. "Hosting the conference will add a significant new dimension to the structural development of Nepali cricket and help expand the country's international relations within the sport," Khadka said in CAN's statement.

The strategic value extends beyond prestige. CAN has framed the conference as an important opportunity to strengthen Nepal's presence in international cricket and to expand its relationships within the sport. Face-to-face engagement with regional administrators at home could open the door to development partnerships and closer cooperation with other boards, including fixtures and technical support that are harder to secure from a distance.

The gathering is also expected to raise Nepal's standing in international cricket administration. For a board that has spent years building credibility through improved governance and a growing domestic circuit, hosting the ICC's regional conference is a visible mark of that progress.

The tourism angle matters too. The conference is expected to give a boost to sports tourism in the Himalayan nation, which was affected by flash floods in August. When administrators from the world's biggest cricket nations spend a week in Kathmandu, the visit doubles as an advertisement for a country CAN wants the cricket world to see as safe, welcoming and ready to stage major events.

Delegates to Watch the NPL Eliminator and Final

The conference has been deliberately timed to overlap with the business end of the Nepal Premier League. The third edition of the NPL runs from October 26 to November 21, 2026, and the conference's final day coincides with the tournament's grand final at the TU Ground in Kirtipur.

According to CAN's official fixture list, the Eliminator is scheduled for November 18, with the final under lights on November 21. Conference delegates arriving from November 17 will therefore be in place for both matches, giving them a live look at the league during its highest-stakes week.

That scheduling is no accident. CAN wants international administrators to see the NPL at full intensity, with packed stands and knockout pressure, rather than as a concept on paper. The league's knockout stage will feature the tournament's headline overseas talent, including David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Sikandar Raza, Moeen Ali, Jimmy Neesham and former India wicketkeeper KS Bharat, all of whom are expected to feature in Season 3.

The exposure is reciprocal. While administrators watch the cricket, the eight franchises get their product in front of the very people who shape regional cricket policy. For players, performing in front of a stand full of international administrators is its own kind of audition, and for the league, it is a credibility signal that money cannot buy.

A Landmark Fortnight for Nepal

The conference announcement caps a remarkable two days for Nepali cricket. On the same Friday, CAN also confirmed that the ICC had officially sanctioned the third edition of the NPL, clearing the last uncertainty around the tournament and its overseas recruitment. The sanction and the conference hosting rights were announced together, and together they mark the biggest week in the history of Nepal's domestic game.

That context gives the Asia Conference its full weight. Delegates will not simply be visiting a developing cricket nation; they will be visiting one whose flagship tournament has just earned the ICC's official recognition, whose squads feature multiple World Cup winners, and whose board has earned the trust to stage the region's top administrative event.

CAN's confidence is visible in the invitation itself. Rather than presenting the NPL to administrators in a slide deck, the board is putting them in the stands for the Eliminator and the final. It is a bold way to argue that Nepal's league belongs on the global franchise calendar, and it sets up the final day of the conference, November 21, as a double headline: regional cricket business concluded by morning, and the NPL champion crowned under lights in the evening.

For fans planning to attend the closing week, tickets are on sale through eSewa, and matches are streamed worldwide on NetTV. The possibility of an ICC board meeting in Nepal, reported earlier this month, remains separate from this confirmed conference, but both point in the same direction: Kathmandu is becoming a fixture on world cricket's map.

What Happens Next

The immediate timeline is straightforward. The NPL opens on October 26 with defending champions Lumbini Lions facing Sudurpaschim Royals at Kirtipur, and the league stage runs through November 15 before the playoffs begin with Qualifier 1 on November 17.

Conference delegates start arriving the same day as Qualifier 1, and CAN will manage logistics for the three-day gathering alongside the tournament's climax. The Eliminator follows on November 18, Qualifier 2 on November 19, the first day of the conference, and the grand final on November 21, the conference's closing day.

More details on the conference's venue within Nepal and its full attendee list are expected in the coming weeks as CAN firms up arrangements with the ICC. What is already certain is the symbolism: for three days in November, the centre of Asian cricket administration will be Kathmandu, and the NPL will provide the evening entertainment.