Ravi Bopara is an England all-rounder who will represent Chitwan Rhinos in NPL Season 3. He begins a third consecutive season with the Rhinos, rare continuity for an overseas player. The 41-year-old brings 3,981 international runs and 57 wickets across Tests, 120 ODIs and 38 T20Is, plus IPL, PSL and BPL miles. His Season 2 reference innings was 52 from 36 to steer the Karnali Yaks chase, the timing-and-placement masterclass the franchise keeps re-signing.
At 41 he is the dressing room's memory bank for a 22-year-old captain rebuilding from two wins. In the Nepal Premier League 2026, his middle-order craft and four overs of medium pace remain one of the most reliable two-skill packages in the side.
About Ravi Bopara
Ravi Bopara begins a third consecutive season with Chitwan Rhinos, a rare continuity for an overseas player in T20 franchise cricket. The 41-year-old England all-rounder brings 3,981 international runs and 57 wickets across Tests, 120 ODIs and 38 T20Is, plus dressing-room miles from the IPL, PSL and BPL. His Season 2 reference innings — 52 from 36 balls to steer the Karnali Yaks chase — showed exactly the timing-and-placement game Chitwan keeps re-signing.
The arc is continuity in a format built on churn: few overseas players get a third year at one franchise, and Bopara has earned his the hard way — the 52 from 36 against Karnali, steering a chase of 167 when it wobbled, the timing-and-placement masterclass the Rhinos keep paying for. At 41, he is the dressing room's memory bank: every major T20 league's lessons, available to a 22-year-old captain.
Playing style and strengths
Bopara's batting is the timing-and-placement game the Rhinos keep paying for: the 52 from 36 against Karnali was not power-hitting but precision — gaps found, bowlers manipulated, the chase steered rather than bludgeoned. At 41, the game is built on reading the bowler a fraction earlier and placing the ball a fraction better; it is the middle-order craft of the veteran who has faced every attack type across the IPL, PSL and BPL. In T20's middle overs, that craft is gold: the ability to keep scoring when the field spreads and the boundaries dry up.
The medium-pace bowling is the second string, and at this stage of his career it is built on craft over speed — the profile of a bowler who survives on change of pace rather than pace itself. Four overs of middle-over control and a death-over option the captain trusts: 57 international wickets did not come from pace alone. It is the all-rounder's complete package, aged into its most efficient form.
Ravi Bopara's role at Chitwan Rhinos in Season 3
Bopara's Season 3 role is the veteran overseas anchor: third consecutive campaign, the middle order's experienced head alongside Sikandar Raza. Two 40-plus all-rounders — Bopara at 41, Raza at 40 — give captain Kushal Malla something no other NPL side can match: a middle order that has won league titles on three continents and faced every situation T20 can produce. When a chase wobbles, as the Karnali one did in Season 2, the Rhinos now have two finishers who have steered hundreds of them.
The second half of the role is mentorship by presence. A 22-year-old captain leading a rebuild from two wins needs sounding boards, and Bopara — IPL, PSL, BPL miles, three Rhinos seasons — is the most qualified one in the squad. His medium-pace overs give Malla a sixth-bowling option without weakening the batting; his experience gives the whole squad a reference point. Continuity, in Bopara's case, is a tactic.
Player details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ravi Bopara |
| Date of birth | 4 May 1985 |
| Birthplace | Forest Gate, London, England |
| Country | England |
| Playing role | All-rounder |
| Batting style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling style | Medium-pace |
Ravi Bopara at NPL 2026
Season-by-season NPL figures for Ravi Bopara.
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL 2024 (Season 1) | Chitwan Rhinos | 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
Records & achievements
- 3,981 international runs and 57 wickets for England across Tests, 120 ODIs and 38 T20Is
- Third consecutive season with Chitwan Rhinos — rare overseas continuity
- 52 from 36 balls against Karnali Yaks in Season 2 to steer a chase of 167
- Franchise résumé spanning the IPL, PSL and BPL
Ravi Bopara career records
Available senior career figures from the structured player record.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Best | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 13 | 575 | 1 | 1/39 | 3/0 |
| ODI | 120 | 2,695 | 40 | 4/38 | 1/14 |
| FC | 221 | 12,821 | 257 | 5/49 | 31/55 |
| LA | 325 | 9,856 | 248 | 5/63 | 15/60 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which team does Ravi Bopara play for in NPL Season 3?
Ravi Bopara plays for Chitwan Rhinos in NPL Season 3.
How old is Ravi Bopara?
41.
Which country does Ravi Bopara represent?
England.
What is Ravi Bopara's role?
An all-rounder — a middle-order batter and medium-pace bowler.
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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