NPL Takes Friday Off: No Match on 30 October

The NPL Friday rest day falls on 30 October 2026, with no match scheduled at TU Ground, Kirtipur, as Season 3 pauses for its first scheduled break — a day set aside for pitch maintenance, squad recovery and practice sessions before Saturday's double-header.

NPL Friday rest day and what it allows

The schedule says it plainly: between Match 6 on Thursday and Match 7 on Saturday, the row for Friday, 30 October carries a single entry — REST DAY. No teams, no start time, no venue slot, because no match takes place. The NPL Friday rest day is the first of four scheduled breaks in Season 3, with further rest days on 4 November, 8 November and 11 November 2026.

The schedule page explains what those days are for: pitch maintenance, squad recovery, and practice sessions at Kirtipur. In other words, Friday is not an empty day at the ground. The square gets work, players recover from four days of cricket, and squads can practise, but no match will be played and no result will change the table. The groundstaff get their first full day with the square since the tournament began on 26 October.

That matters for fans planning a trip. There is no ticket to buy for Friday, no match to watch at the ground or on the broadcast, and the next live cricket comes on Saturday. Anyone travelling to Kirtipur for Friday should plan for Saturday instead.

Why the break falls after Match 6

The timing is deliberate. Season 3 has packed six matches into its first four days: the opener on 26 October, two matches on 27 October, one on 28 October, and two more on 29 October — including Thursday's double-header of Janakpur vs Kathmandu in the afternoon and Karnali vs Biratnagar in the evening.

Six matches in four days is a heavy load on one pitch square and on eight squads, several of whom have played twice already. Thursday alone produced two results that reshaped the table: Janakpur's eight-wicket win over Kathmandu in the afternoon, sealed by Moeen Ali's unbeaten 58, and Karnali's four-wicket chase against Biratnagar in the evening, sealed by Kami's unbeaten 62. Karnali and Biratnagar, for example, both played on Thursday evening after earlier matches in the week, and Biratnagar face Sudurpaschim again on Saturday. A day without a match lets the groundstaff repair the surfaces and lets players recover before the next block of fixtures.

The break also splits the season neatly. The first six matches are done, the table has its first shape, and Saturday starts the next run of fixtures with every team still in the race.

Saturday's double-header: what returns

Play resumes on Saturday, 31 October, with two matches at Kirtipur. Lumbini Lions meet Chitwan Rhinos at 12:30 PM in Match 7, a repeat of a rivalry Lumbini have dominated so far, winning both previous meetings between the sides.

The evening match, Match 8, pairs Sudurpaschim Royals with Biratnagar Kings at 4:30 PM. Biratnagar arrive still searching for their first win after two defeats, while Sudurpaschim have one win from their two matches.

Both Saturday matches carry live coverage as usual, with scores on the NPL Season 3 live score page, and the full fixture list is on the schedule page.

What the pause means for the points table

Nothing changes on Friday — no result, no points, no net-run-rate movement. Karnali Yaks sit at the top after Match 6 with two wins from two matches, sealed by their four-wicket chase against Biratnagar on Thursday, and the points table reflects that lead.

Behind them, the middle of the table is crowded: Lumbini, Chitwan, Janakpur and Sudurpaschim all have one win each, while Pokhara and Kathmandu are still winless alongside Biratnagar at the foot. Friday's pause therefore freezes that picture for a day.

The next movement comes on Saturday, when four of those eight teams play and the table gets its first weekend shake-up. The winners on Saturday join Karnali on four points, while Biratnagar can finally open their account against Sudurpaschim. For Biratnagar in particular, the rest day is a brief chance to regroup before a Sudurpaschim side that already beat Pokhara once this season.