Sam Heazlett Joins Kathmandu Gurkhas for NPL Season 3

Australian left-handed batter Sam Heazlett will play for Kathmandu Gurkhas in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League, switching from Biratnagar Kings, where he played last season, to the capital franchise days before the new season begins.

Sam Heazlett switches to Kathmandu Gurkhas

Australian left-handed batter Sam Heazlett will play for Kathmandu Gurkhas in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League. Heazlett played for Biratnagar Kings in the previous edition and has switched teams this season, joining the capital franchise as its latest overseas addition days before the tournament begins at TU Ground in Kirtipur.

With Heazlett's arrival, Kathmandu have added another batting option to their squad. He is a top-order left-hander with a long record in Australian domestic cricket, and his move is the latest in a busy round of overseas recruitment across the league as franchises finalise their squads for a season that runs from October 26 to November 21.

Heazlett already knows the NPL. His season with Biratnagar Kings gave him a first look at Nepali conditions and at the tournament's pace, and that experience should help him settle quickly in a new dressing room. For Kathmandu, signing a player who has already proved he can score runs in this league is a lower-risk addition than bringing in a complete newcomer.

Sam Heazlett career record in Australia

Heazlett has performed well in Australian domestic cricket. On his first-class debut against Tasmania in the 2015-16 season, he scored 129 runs in the first innings and 78 in the second, and he scored 649 runs for Queensland that season. That debut announced him as a batter with both patience and strokeplay, qualities that translate well to the longer spells of concentration a T20 innings sometimes demands.

In 2017, he was included in Australia's one-day international squad, and he has played one ODI for his country. Across all forms of T20 cricket, Heazlett has scored 898 runs in 51 matches, with a highest score of an unbeaten 74. In List A cricket, he has scored 1,618 runs in 41 matches, including three centuries and 14 half-centuries, a record that underlines his consistency in the 50-over game.

His career details are available on his Sam Heazlett player profile.

Kathmandu Gurkhas overseas group for Season 3

Kathmandu had already built a strong overseas group before Heazlett's arrival. The franchise previously signed fellow Australians David Warner and Will Bosisto, as well as India's KS Bharat and Sri Lanka's Sahan Arachchige. Warner's signing, covered in our report on the biggest signing in NPL history, set the tone for Kathmandu's recruitment, and Heazlett adds left-handed depth to a batting unit already rich in experience.

The balance of that group is notable. Warner brings unmatched T20 pedigree at the top of the order, Bosisto and Arachchige offer all-round options, Bharat adds wicketkeeping and middle-order stability, and Heazlett gives the side another left-handed batter who can build an innings or accelerate through the middle overs. How the franchise fits those options into a playing eleven that can field only four overseas players will be one of the early tactical questions of the season.

Kathmandu's first test comes quickly. The side opens its Season 3 campaign against Janakpur Bolts on October 29 at TU Ground, and the NPL Season 3 schedule shows a packed month of fixtures for all eight teams. Supporters can track the capital side's progress on the points table and find ticket details for the Kirtipur matches.

What Heazlett adds to Kathmandu

For Kathmandu, the value of this signing is straightforward: a proven domestic performer from Australia who already knows the league, the conditions and the standard of bowling he will face. Left-handed batters also change the angles for opposition bowlers and fielding captains, and a second left-hander in the top order can unsettle plans built around right-handed opponents.

There is also the matter of timing. Signings announced this close to the tournament tend to be deliberate rather than speculative, and Heazlett's switch from Biratnagar suggests Kathmandu identified a specific gap in its squad and moved to fill it. Whether he opens, bats in the middle order or provides cover across the top order, his record in Australian domestic cricket gives the franchise options.

With the season starting on October 26, Kathmandu's squad now looks close to complete. The franchise's supporters will get their first look at the new-look side on October 29, when the Gurkhas face the first champions, Janakpur Bolts, in a fixture that pits two of the league's most recognisable teams against each other in the opening week.