Neofin, LOD Club Join NPL Season 3 Partner Roster

Two new names joined the Nepal Premier League partner roster on the eve of Season 3: Neofin Hire Purchase as the league's Platinum Cap sponsor, and LOD Club as its entertainment partner for the tournament at TU Ground in Kirtipur.

Neofin Platinum Cap deal for NPL Season 3

Neofin Hire Purchase Pvt. Ltd. has signed a three-party agreement with the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and TCM Sports Marketing Pvt. Ltd. to become the Official Platinum Cap Sponsor of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) for the next three years, Makalu Khabar reported on October 26. Under the agreement, the batter who scores the most runs during each season of the T20 tournament will receive a cap bearing the Neofin logo, giving the run-scoring race a named prize that will travel with the leaderboard all the way to the final.

The leading run-scorer will also receive a cash prize of Rs 200,000 on the day of the final, according to the same report. A second report, carried by NepalAll, corroborates the three-year term, the three-party agreement and the Rs 200,000 prize. The cap is therefore a prize decided by a full season of batting, not a mid-season novelty, and it sits alongside the team prizes already announced for Season 3, headed by Rs 15 million for the tournament winner.

LOD Club entertainment role at TU Ground

LOD Club has been named the entertainment partner for the third season of the Nepal Premier League, Makalu Khabar reported on October 26. An agreement was signed on Sunday, October 25, between LOD Club chief executive Rabin Shrestha and CAN secretary Paras Khadka at a programme in Kathmandu, a day before the season opened at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

Under the arrangement, the club will provide entertainment throughout the tournament, with its DJs playing music from the LOD Zone at the cricket ground during matches. Shrestha said the club had been entrusted with entertaining both the players and the spectators during matches. LOD Club also served as the entertainment partner for the second season, so its return is a renewal, and Shrestha said the club aims to bring Nepal's sports and entertainment industries together and help them grow side by side.

Neofin background and three-year agreement

Neofin Hire Purchase is a non-banking financial institution licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank to conduct hire purchase transactions, according to NepalAll's report on the deal. The company operates under the Kedia Organisation, was previously known as Batas Hire Purchase Pvt. Ltd., and currently provides financial services through branches in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Neofin chief executive Rajendra Prasad Timsina said cricket had become an immensely popular sport among people of all age groups in Nepal. “We are proud to partner with a prestigious tournament like the Nepal Premier League,” he said. “The Neofin Cap awarded to the highest run-scorer will symbolise excellence, consistency and dedication.” CAN and TCM Sports Marketing also expressed confidence that the partnership would contribute positively to raising the standard of the tournament and promoting cricket in Nepal.

NPL Season 3 commercial picture

The two announcements land in a season already crowded with commercial partners. Nepal Telecom signed as an official sponsor of the third edition, and franchise-level deals announced before the season included Muktinath Bikas Bank as the official banking partner of Janakpur Bolts. The Neofin and LOD deals are league-level rather than franchise-level: the cap race runs across all eight squads, and the LOD Zone entertainment runs across every matchday at Kirtipur.

At a press conference before the opener, CAN treasurer Padam Khadka said the association expected about Rs 200 million from sponsorships and more than Rs 700 million from ticketing and broadcasting, with overall turnover expected to reach Rs 1.5 billion. The league also carries official ICC T20 status for the first time this season, and the Decision Review System has been introduced. The schedule runs from October 26 to November 21, with the points table deciding the playoff race, while fans can follow live scores and check tickets and streaming options for the Kirtipur matches.

Cap race and fan experience in the weeks ahead

The Platinum Cap race began with the season opener, in which defending champions Lumbini Lions beat Sudurpaschim Royals by seven wickets after bowling them out for 87. D'Arcy Short top-scored in the chase with 40 from 18 balls, an early marker in a race that will only be settled in the final week, with 28 league matches before the playoffs.

The combination is deliberate: a named individual prize for the players, and a named entertainment zone for the spectators, announced together on the eve of the tournament and both running for the full season. The opener's result is already in the books, the prize money picture is fixed, and the partner roster now includes Nepal Telecom at league level and Muktinath Bikas Bank with Janakpur Bolts at franchise level. Neofin and LOD Club join that roster as the season's newest league-wide names, one for the run-scorers and one for the crowds.