Sagar Dhakal is a Nepal bowler who will represent Pokhara Avengers in NPL Season 3 after being retained among the franchise's seven domestic players. The homegrown finger-spinner already has international pedigree: 8 ODIs and 6 T20Is for Nepal, with a T20I debut against Oman in February 2022, an ODI debut against Papua New Guinea in March 2022, and a 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad place. Born on December 14, 2001, he is 24 during the 2026 season.
In the Nepal Premier League 2026, Dhakal is Pokhara's domestic finger-spin option at Kirtipur's TU Ground, a venue where spin does heavy lifting. Training and bowling alongside Shakib Al Hasan is a daily masterclass few young spinners ever get.
About Sagar Dhakal
Sagar Dhakal is the homegrown spinner Pokhara Avengers kept — retained among the seven domestic players for NPL Season 3, and the franchise's own slow-bowling answer at a venue where spin does heavy lifting. His international credentials are already substantial for a 24-year-old: 8 ODIs and 6 T20Is for Nepal, with a T20I debut against Oman in February 2022, an ODI debut against Papua New Guinea in March 2022, and a place in Nepal's squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Born on December 14, 2001, Dhakal is 24 during the 2026 season — young enough to still be rising, experienced enough to have bowled on the world stage. At Kirtipur, he is the domestic finger-spin option in an attack now led by Shakib Al Hasan: the apprentice and the master in the same squad, under new head coach Ajantha Mendis.
Player details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sagar Dhakal |
| Country | Nepal |
| Playing role | Bowler |
| Batting style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling style | Finger-spin |
Playing style and strengths
Dhakal's listed discipline is finger-spin, and his game is built on the spinner's oldest virtues: control, flight and patience. In T20 cricket the finger-spinner's job is rarely to blast sides out; it is to squeeze — to bowl the middle overs so tightly that batters take risks elsewhere. Fourteen internationals by the age of 24, plus a World Cup squad place, say the national setup trusts his temperament; spinners who panic do not get picked for global tournaments.
His strength is suited precisely to Kirtipur. A single-venue tournament lets a spinner learn a surface intimately — the pace, the turn, the moments in a game when it grips — and Dhakal, retained from Season 2, has that knowledge banked while opponents start from zero. Working daily under a new head coach in Mendis, his variations and game-plans have every chance to sharpen further. The raw material is a reliable, thinking slow bowler; the ceiling is a tournament-defining one.
Sagar Dhakal's role at Pokhara Avengers in Season 3
Sagar Dhakal's role at Pokhara Avengers in Season 3 is the homegrown half of a potentially elite spin pairing. Shakib Al Hasan's slow left-arm orthodox will take the headlines, but two quality spinners at Kirtipur — where the surface traditionally assists turn — give captain Kushal Bhurtel eight overs of control through the middle of every innings. Dhakal's job is to make those eight overs feel like twelve: bowl in tandem with Shakib, build pressure from both ends, and let the scoreboard do the talking.
There is a development dimension too. Sharing a squad with Shakib and a new head coach in Mendis is a spin education no academy can replicate, and Dhakal at 24 is at the perfect age to absorb it. His Season 3 has two measures: the immediate one — economy rate and wickets in the middle overs, the currency of T20 spin — and the longer one, whether he finishes the tournament a demonstrably better bowler than he started it. Pokhara's first playoff push needs both.
Sagar Dhakal at NPL 2026
Season-by-season Nepal Premier League figures for Sagar Dhakal.
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL 2024 (Season 1) | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available |
| NPL 2025 (Season 2) | Pokhara Avengers | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | Not publicly available |
| NPL 2026 (Season 3) | Pokhara Avengers | Season not yet played | — | — | — | — | — |
Sagar Dhakal career records
Available senior career figures for Sagar Dhakal as stated in verified reports.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Best bowling | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 8 | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | N/A | N/A |
| T20I | 6 | Not publicly available | Not publicly available | N/A | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NPL team does Sagar Dhakal play for?
Sagar Dhakal plays for Pokhara Avengers in NPL Season 3 (2026).
Was Sagar Dhakal retained or bought at auction?
He was retained — the finger-spinner in Pokhara's seven-player domestic core kept in June 2026.
Has Sagar Dhakal played for Nepal?
Yes. He has represented Nepal in 8 ODIs and 6 T20Is, with his T20I debut against Oman in February 2022 and his ODI debut against Papua New Guinea in March 2022, and he was named in Nepal's squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Follow Pokhara Avengers
Pokhara Avengers squad lists each player's recruitment status separately. Auction prices apply only to the listed auction transaction; they are not a career salary or a retained-player fee.
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