Dev Khanal is a Nepal top-order batter who will represent Chitwan Rhinos in NPL Season 3. Chitwan bought the 21-year-old for NPR 15 lakh at the 2025 auction, the joint-highest price of that sale, and retained him for Season 3. The arc explains the faith: ODI debutant at sixteen against Papua New Guinea, Nepal's under-19 captain at the 2024 World Cup, and 329 ODI runs including a match-winning 76 against Canada. His right-arm off-break is a part-time option.
His best cricket has come in 50-over internationals; in the Nepal Premier League 2026 the short-format Khanal has to arrive. Three T20Is and 31 runs is his base, and Season 3 decides whether Chitwan's double bet pays off.
About Dev Khanal
Dev Khanal is a 21-year-old Nepal international whom Chitwan bought for NPR 15 lakh at the 2025 auction — the joint-highest price of that sale — and retained for Season 3. A right-handed top-order batter who bowls right-arm off-break, he captained Nepal's under-19s to the Super Six at the 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup and owns 329 ODI runs and three fifties, including a match-winning 76 against Canada. His T20 game is still emerging: three internationals, 31 runs, and a Season 3 in which the short-format version of Khanal has to arrive.
The arc from sixteen-year-old ODI debutant against Papua New Guinea in March 2022 to Nepal U19 captain at the 2024 World Cup is the steepest in the squad — and it explains the 15 lakh. Chitwan paid joint-highest 2025 money for a 21-year-old whose best cricket has come in 50-over internationals, then retained him before he had proved the T20 version. Season 3 is the season the short-format Khanal has to arrive, because the franchise has now bet on him twice.
Playing style and strengths
Khanal is a right-handed top-order batter whose technique was built for the long game — 329 ODI runs and three fifties, a match-winning 76 against Canada, innings constructed on strike rotation and pacing. The T20 translation is the technical challenge of his season: the top-order T20 batter must score in the powerplay, where field restrictions reward boundary-hitting over accumulation. His right-hand game, developed for building ODI innings, has to add early-innings aggression without losing the shot selection that made him Nepal's U19 captain.
The right-arm off-break is the second string — a part-time option rather than a stock ball. At Chitwan it sits behind Sikandar Raza's genuine off-spin and Kushal Malla's slow left-arm orthodox, which means Khanal's bowling is a matchup or over-rate option, not a quota. His selection value is overwhelmingly with the bat: a young top-order player the franchise believes will grow into the format, retained at 21 on trajectory rather than T20 output — three internationals, 31 runs, and everything still to prove.
Dev Khanal's role at Chitwan Rhinos in Season 3
Khanal's Season 3 role is the top-order development bet: a right-hander likely pencilled into the top three alongside the left-hand power of captain Kushal Malla — a right-left combination at the top that Chitwan's planners will have noticed. With Bopara and Raza owning the middle order, Khanal's job is to give the innings a start: see off the new ball, attack the powerplay, and hand the veterans a platform.
The retention at 15-lakh value is the franchise's patience made official — but patience in T20 is short. The six auction arrivals, led by Bibek Kumar Yadav's 15-lakh all-round capture, all want XI places, and a top-order batter with 31 T20I runs is competing on promise. Season 3 decides whether Khanal is Chitwan's future or its most expensive lesson.
Player details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Dev Khanal |
| Date of birth | 29 May 2005 |
| Country | Nepal |
| Playing role | Top-order batter |
| Batting style | Right-handed |
| Bowling style | Right-arm off-break |
Dev Khanal at NPL 2026
Season-by-season NPL figures for Dev Khanal.
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL 2024 (Season 1) | Karnali Yaks | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available |
| NPL 2025 (Season 2) | Chitwan Rhinos | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available |
| NPL 2026 (Season 3) | Chitwan Rhinos | Season not yet played | — | — | — | — | — |
Dev Khanal career records
Available career figures from the verified record.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Best | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 14 | 329 | — | — | 0/3 |
| T20I | 3 | 31 | — | — | 0/0 |
Records & achievements
- Captained Nepal U19 to the Super Six at the 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup
- 76 from 81 balls against Canada in February 2024 to seal a series-deciding ODI chase
- Bought by Chitwan for NPR 15 lakh at the 2025 auction — the joint-highest price of that sale
- Senior ODI debut against Papua New Guinea in March 2022 at sixteen
Frequently Asked Questions
Which team does Dev Khanal play for in NPL Season 3?
Dev Khanal plays for Chitwan Rhinos in NPL Season 3.
How old is Dev Khanal?
21 — born 29 May 2005.
What is Dev Khanal's role?
A right-handed top-order batter who bowls right-arm off-break.
What did Chitwan pay for Dev Khanal?
NPR 15 lakh at the 2025 auction, the joint-highest price of that sale; he was retained for Season 3.
Follow Chitwan Rhinos
Chitwan Rhinos squad lists each player’s Season 3 recruitment status. Auction prices refer to the listed auction transaction only; overseas signings are contracted separately by the franchise.
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