Kirtipur Dressed Up as NPL Season 3 Eve Arrives

Kirtipur is wearing the Nepal Premier League a day before the first ball, with decorated gates on the road to the TU Ground, section-wise entry points and supporters already arriving as Season 3 prepares to open on October 26.

Kirtipur in NPL colours on the eve of Season 3

Kirtipur is wearing the Nepal Premier League a day before the first ball. The road leading to the TU International Cricket Ground is lined with large boards, and gates have been built section by section so spectators can find their way in without confusion. Boards have gone up at several points around the ground for the same reason: to make the walk to a seat simple on a day when thousands will arrive together. Some supporters have already reached the stadium premises, a day early, to stand where the season will open.

The third season of the NPL runs from October 26 to November 21, and all 32 matches will be played at this one ground in Kirtipur. That single-venue shape is part of why the town itself feels like part of the event: the approach road, the gates and the boards are the first thing a spectator meets, before any cricket is played. Ratopati's eve-of-season photo series captures that change — a working Kathmandu Valley town road turned, for three weeks, into the approach to Nepal's biggest sporting festival.

The festival billing is not empty. Season 3 is the biggest edition of the league yet in scale, with eight franchises, a full 32-match schedule and an opening match that repeats last season's final. For Kirtipur, the eve of the tournament is the moment the whole town switches over, and the decorations on the road to the ground are the visible sign of it.

TU Ground upgrades for the Season 3 crowd

Behind the decorations, the Cricket Association of Nepal has done the heavier work inside the ground. Seating capacity has been increased by about two thousand, a covered parapet has been constructed, and new seats have been installed for spectators. The changes answer the most basic demand of a bigger tournament: more people, seated better, with shelter from sun and rain.

The rest of the upgrade list is about the match-day experience rather than capacity alone. An LED scoreboard and digital perimeter boards have been installed, player dugouts now come with private dining facilities, and a media centre has been constructed for the journalists covering the tournament. A separate family zone has been set aside, and clean toilets have been built — two details that matter more to a family buying tickets than any screen.

None of this is new to readers who followed the ground's preparation: the upgrade works were reported as they finished, and the full list was covered when the ground was declared ready for Season 3. What the eve-of-season pictures add is proof on the ground — the finished stands, the boards and the gates, photographed a day before they are tested by a full crowd. Security for those crowds is covered separately, with a dedicated police plan for every match day.

Season 3 opener at Kirtipur

The season opens on Monday, October 26, at 5:00 PM, when defending champions Lumbini Lions face Sudurpaschim Royals at the TU Ground. It is a repeat of last season's final, in which Lumbini beat Sudurpaschim to lift the title, so the tournament starts with its most recent rivalry rather than a gentle opener.

From there the schedule runs for nearly four weeks: 28 league matches followed by four playoff matches, ending with the grand finale on November 21. Evening matches start at 5:00 PM, and double-header days add a 12:30 PM start, so the ground will host cricket through most afternoons and evenings of the tournament window.

Eight franchises contest the season, and every one of them will pass through Kirtipur. The single-venue format means the town's roads, gates and stands carry the whole tournament, not just one match — which is why the eve-of-season preparations, from the decorated approach road to the new seats, have drawn so much attention before a ball is bowled.

Last season's final is the reason the opener carries weight beyond the first points of the table. Sudurpaschim were bowled out for 85 in that final, and Lumbini chased 86 for the loss of four wickets inside nine overs to win by six wickets, with Rohit Paudel taking a hat-trick and Ruben Trumpelmann named player of the match. A rematch on the same ground, in front of the same stands, gives the new season an immediate storyline: the champions defending their title against the side they beat to win it, before either team has played a ball this season.

Match-day experience at the TU Ground

For spectators, the practical message of the new arrangements is simple: follow the boards, use the gate for your section, and expect a ground that has been set up for a crowd rather than improvised for one. The section-wise gates are the key change at the entrance, and the boards placed around the ground are there to keep movement orderly when thousands arrive at once.

Tickets for the season are sold through eSewa, with league-match general tickets at Rs 500 and premium tickets at Rs 1,000. The family zone and the improved toilets are part of the same pitch: a ground that families can use for a full evening, not just a quick visit.

Fans who cannot reach Kirtipur can still follow every match on the league's streaming options. NetTV carries the tournament worldwide on its OTT platform, and Himalaya Television carries it on linear television in Nepal, the league's two rights holders for Season 3. Live scores and the points table will track the tournament as it unfolds, match by match, from the October 26 opener to the November 21 final.