PM Balendra Shah to Attend NPL Season 3 Opening

Prime Minister Balendra Shah will attend the opening ceremony of the third season of the Nepal Premier League at Kirtipur on Monday, his press expert confirmed, hours before defending champions Lumbini Lions open the season against Sudurpaschim Royals.

Prime Minister's Opening-Day Message

The Kathmandu Post reported on Monday that Prime Minister Balendra Shah will attend the opening ceremony of the third edition of the Nepal Premier League, with his press expert Dipa Dahal confirming the visit. Hours before the tournament began, Shah extended his best wishes to the players, organisers and the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), describing the NPL as the country's biggest sporting competition and a major sporting festival that has grown in just a few years.

“Warm greetings to all international players who have arrived to take part in the league and commentators. I wish all Nepali players, the organisers and the Cricket Association of Nepal the best for a successful tournament,” Shah wrote on social media, according to the Post. Makalu Khabar carried the same message, reporting that Shah welcomed the international players and commentators joining the league and closed with the words: “Long live Nepali cricket.”

Shah's attendance puts the league's opening on the national stage, framing the NPL as a national event rather than a Kathmandu-only spectacle.

Opening Match at Kirtipur

The opening ceremony takes place at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, and the first match of the season follows at 5:00 PM on Monday, when defending champions Lumbini Lions face Sudurpaschim Royals. It is an immediate rematch of last season's final, in which Lumbini dismissed Sudurpaschim for 85 and completed a six-wicket win in nine overs to lift the title.

Rohit Paudel captains Lumbini, while Dipendra Singh Airee leads Sudurpaschim, a side that has finished as runner-up in both previous editions. For the Royals, the opener is a chance to start erasing that record; for the champions, it is a chance to show the title defence starts exactly where the last one ended.

The season runs until November 21, with every match played at Kirtipur. That single-venue shape makes the opening night the league's shop window, with ground, broadcast and crowd all having to be ready at once.

DRS and ICC Status in Season 3

Two changes give Season 3 a different standing from the first two editions. The Decision Review System will be used for the first time in Nepal's domestic cricket, with three-dimensional ball tracking for leg-before-wicket decisions, edge detection to judge contact with the bat, and reviews covering run-outs, stumpings, front-foot no-balls, wides judged by height and measurements of sixes. Each team will be allowed two unsuccessful reviews per innings.

CAN secretary Paras Khadka has said introducing the system will cost around Rs15 million to Rs20 million, with CAN and the eight franchises sharing the expense. Reviews are expected to add about 30 minutes to matches, the Post reports, with organisers making an additional 30 minutes available in the schedule.

The second change is the International Cricket Council's sanction of the league, granted on October 16. The Post reports that the ICC has recognised the league's matches as List A T20 fixtures, which means performances in Season 3 will count in players' official T20 records, unlike the first two editions. For Nepali players in particular, that turns a domestic franchise tournament into a stage where runs and wickets carry lasting weight.

Commercial Growth Behind Season 3

The commercial story behind the opening ceremony is almost as striking as the cricket. CAN treasurer Padam Khadka said at a press conference on Sunday that the tournament, which runs for 26 days, is expected to generate Rs200 million from sponsorships and more than Rs700 million from ticketing and broadcasting, with the association expecting total turnover to reach Rs1.5 billion. The NPL recorded turnover of Rs1 billion in its inaugural season, with a more modest increase reported last year.

Franchise spending has risen alongside the league's revenue prospects. Average expenditure per team, which ranged between Rs80 million and Rs100 million in the first two seasons, is projected to reach Rs150 million this year, reflecting higher spending on players, squads and accommodation. CAN's own expenditure is estimated at around Rs300 million, up from about Rs210 million last year, partly because of the introduction of DRS and expanded promotional activities.

Broadcasting rights tell the same story. Republica reports that Himalaya Television has acquired the television rights for Rs146.4 million, excluding taxes, nearly five times what Kantipur Television paid for the same rights last season. The winner's prize has risen with the rest: the champions will receive Rs15 million, up from Rs11 million last season, with Rs8 million for the runner-up, Rs4 million for third place and Rs3 million for fourth. Demand from supporters has already shown itself in ticket sales for the season, with the opening-day allocation selling out quickly.

Stars on Show at the TU Ground

The opening night also showcases the overseas names Season 3 has attracted. Former Australia captain David Warner will represent Kathmandu Gorkhas, while West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has joined Biratnagar Kings. South Africa's David Miller will play for Karnali Yaks, and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan will turn out for Pokhara Avengers, alongside England's Moeen Ali and New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham among the international contingent.

Shah's message welcomed the international players, and his attendance links their arrival to the league's wider ambition: a tournament that can fill a ground in Kirtipur, carry official T20 status, and still feel like Nepal's own festival of cricket. The first ball of that ambition is bowled at 5:00 PM on Monday.