Pokhara Avengers Bank on Shakib to End Playoff Drought

The most expensive franchise in the Nepal Premier League has never reached the playoffs. Ahead of Season 3, Pokhara Avengers have kept their domestic core intact and added Bangladesh great Shakib Al Hasan in a bid to finally break into the top four.

A first playoff place is the target

Pokhara Avengers enter the third edition of the Nepal Premier League with a record no other franchise shares: they are the only team yet to qualify for the playoffs. Representing Gandaki Province and captained by Kushal Bhurtel, they finished seventh in the inaugural season in 2024 and climbed to fifth in 2025, but neither campaign produced a top-four finish. For Season 3, which runs from October 26 to November 21 at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, a playoff place is the stated first target, with a title challenge to follow only after that barrier is broken.

The frustration is sharpened by the franchise's standing in the league. Pokhara were the most expensive franchise in the first team-ownership auction before the inaugural season, and the expectations that came with that price tag have not yet been matched on the field. They were competitive in patches in both seasons without ever putting together the sustained run a playoff race demands, and the new campaign is framed, inside and outside the camp, as the season when potential finally has to turn into points.

Beyond cricket, the franchise has built a distinct identity through initiatives such as the Glaciers Matter campaign and concerts designed to connect cricket with music. Previous squads featured international names including Jason Roy and Jimmy Neesham, and the club first appeared in the Cricket Association of Nepal's Nepal T20 League in 2022 before joining the NPL as a high-value franchise when the competition began in 2024. That profile makes the absence of a playoff appearance stand out all the more: few teams in the league arrive with as much attention, and none has less to show for it in the standings.

Retained core leads the rebuild

Pokhara's response to two missed playoffs has been continuity rather than wholesale change. The franchise has retained seven players: captain Bhurtel, Sagar Dhakal, Arjun Kumal, Bipin Khatri, Aakash Chand, Kiran Thagunna and Dinesh Kharel. Several of them have been part of the franchise since the inaugural season, and young batter Kumal, who joined through the auction ahead of the second edition, has also been kept on. The logic is straightforward: the domestic group knows the conditions at Kirtipur, knows each other, and gives the overseas signings a settled base to join.

The auction then filled the gaps around that core. Sudip Aryal, who was selected as an iconic player through the talent hunt before the previous season, was released but subsequently brought back through the auction. The franchise also signed wicketkeeper Arjun Gharti after releasing batter Tirtha Raj Das, and added Bibek Rana Magar, Sunny BK, Pratik Pokharel and Bipin Acharya alongside Gharti. With a wicketkeeper added and the top order largely retained, the remaining recruitment decisions were left to the overseas market, where the franchise has moved decisively.

The retained group also carries the memory of what Pokhara can do on their day. In the first season, Andries Gous and Dinesh Kharel shared an unbeaten 176-run opening stand against Lumbini Lions, still one of the standout partnerships in NPL history, in a 10-wicket win. In the second season, Adam Rossington finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 323 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 150.93, including a highest score of 108 not out. Individual brilliance has never been Pokhara's problem; turning it into a playoff finish is the task the retained core has been kept together to complete.

Shakib headlines five overseas signings

The arrival of Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is the biggest move of Pokhara's off-season. The former Bangladesh captain is expected to strengthen both the middle-order batting and the spin-bowling departments, and his signing was confirmed well ahead of the season as the franchise's headline overseas recruit. Shakib's commitment to the full season gives Pokhara something they have not always had from marquee names: certainty about availability through the campaign, which matters for a side trying to build momentum week after week.

Pokhara have announced five overseas players so far. Sri Lankan all-rounder Dhananjaya Lakshan has been retained and can contribute with the bat in the middle order while providing medium-pace bowling when required. Chamika Karunaratne offers another pace-bowling all-round option, Mahedi Hasan provides additional all-round depth, and Mohammad Saifuddin adds bowling resources. The mix gives head coach Ajantha Mendis flexibility in selecting the playing XI, with several overseas players capable of contributing in more than one discipline rather than filling a single role.

That versatility is the point of the group. Shakib and Lakshan can strengthen the middle order, Bhurtel and Kharel can contribute with spin, and the retained domestic bowlers in Dhakal and Khatri add further spin options. With multiple all-rounders in the squad, Pokhara can adjust their balance to conditions at Kirtipur without weakening either batting or bowling. The season schedule gives them an early test of that balance: their opener against Sudurpaschim Royals on October 28 comes against a side that has reached the final in both previous seasons.

Pace, finishing and the road to the knockouts

For all the balance in the squad, two questions remain open. A specialist overseas fast bowler appears to be one of the team's most pressing needs, while a reliable finisher could further improve the balance of a side that has sometimes stalled at the death. Adding a specialist batter would also give the team greater flexibility without weakening its bowling choices, given how many all-rounders already fill the middle order. The final shape of the squad, and the final balance of the XI, will depend on how those remaining decisions land.

What is not in doubt is the standard required. In the first season, Pokhara's biggest moment came in that 10-wicket win over Lumbini; in the second, Rossington's run-scoring could not drag them into the top four. The gap between the two campaigns was real progress, from seventh to fifth, but progress without a playoff place will not satisfy a franchise that entered the league as its most expensive team. Fans can follow whether the new-look squad closes that gap through the live scores hub once the season gets underway, and the points table will show quickly whether the early fixtures against the league's strongest sides leave Pokhara chasing from the start or set up for a run.

After two seasons without a playoff appearance, the franchise needs its recruitment strategy and retained core to translate into more consistent performances. Shakib's arrival supplies the experience and the headline, the retained seven supply the continuity, and the auction recruits supply fresh depth. Whether the pace attack and the finishing hold up will decide if Pokhara finally break into the knockout stage, or if the most expensive franchise in the NPL extends its playoff drought into a fourth season.