DRS Confirmed for Nepal Premier League Season 3 in a First for Nepali Cricket

The Nepal Premier League will use the Decision Review System for the first time in its third season, the Cricket Association of Nepal confirmed on October 20, bringing 3D ball tracking and AI-based edge detection to Nepali cricket in a landmark technology upgrade.

A first for Nepali cricket

The Cricket Association of Nepal confirmed the Decision Review System through the league's official channels on Tuesday, presenting it as the first time the technology will be used in Nepali cricket. The announcement came in a promotional video released during the Dashain festival, with CAN secretary Paras Khadka also sharing a sketch video introducing the system to supporters.

The confirmation means players and umpires at the Siddhartha Bank Nepal Premier League will have technology-backed reviews available when the third season opens on October 26 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. It is the latest in a series of upgrades for the tournament, which received official ICC sanction on October 16 and has already confirmed eight overseas players per squad for the new season.

The move also answers a long-standing demand from supporters. Nepali fans have repeatedly called for review technology after contentious decisions in the league's first two seasons, and Desh Sanchar reported that spectators had been eagerly awaiting the introduction of DRS.

What the review system will cover

The centrepiece of the package is full 3D ball tracking for leg-before-wicket decisions, allowing the projected path of the ball to be shown in three dimensions when an LBW call is challenged or referred. An AI-based edge-detection system will help determine whether the ball has touched the bat, using audio and visual analysis to settle caught-behind and bat-pad disputes.

Run-outs, stumpings and front-foot no-balls will also fall under the review system, with multi-angle replays available for crease decisions. The league's promotional material additionally advertises height-based wide-ball analysis, although CAN has not yet explained how that feature will be applied during matches, and it is not yet clear whether wide calls themselves will be reviewable by the teams.

From planned to confirmed

The confirmation follows months of preparation. CAN secretary Paras Khadka had previously revealed that the board had completed testing with two technology providers and would make a final decision only after assessing the accuracy of their systems. At the Season 3 press engagements earlier this month, DRS was described as planned rather than guaranteed, with a formal announcement expected once testing concluded.

That process has now finished, and the October 20 announcement upgrades DRS from an intention to a confirmed feature of the tournament. The ICC's sanction of the 2026 edition, confirmed four days earlier, has supported a broader operational uplift for the league, which is also enforcing mandatory NOCs for foreign players and the ICC Anti-Corruption Code this season.

More technology in the broadcast

The technology package extends beyond umpiring decisions. Broadcast coverage will measure the distance and height of sixes, display bowling speeds and ball-release profiles, and show real-time field-setting graphics during matches. These features are match analytics and presentation tools rather than part of the review process itself, and CAN has not yet itemised every bowling metric that will appear on screen.

TechPana's report adds that the AI edge-detection system, presented as NickSense, integrates audio from the stump microphones to pick up faint contact between bat and ball, while a frame-synchronisation system automatically monitors bowlers' front feet for no-balls. The same data will feed the stadium's big screens at Kirtipur, giving spectators inside the ground access to the review replays and analytics that television audiences see. For a league that has grown rapidly since its 2024 launch, the package brings the NPL's match presentation closer to the standards of established franchise competitions.

Key details still to come

Several operational details remain unannounced. CAN has yet to state how many reviews each team will receive per innings, how unsuccessful reviews will be treated, whether the umpire's call principle will apply to LBW tracking, or whether the complete technology package will operate in all 32 matches of the tournament.

Those answers are expected before the opening match on October 26, when defending champions Lumbini Lions face Sudurpaschim Royals at Kirtipur. As Cricnepal noted in its report, the system's value will ultimately depend on its accuracy, camera coverage and consistent application across the tournament — but its arrival is a clear statement of ambition from CAN ahead of the biggest NPL season yet.