Quick Facts
- Match
- Match 1, NPL Season 3 — Monday 26 October 2026, 5:00 PM NST
- Lumbini overseas in squad
- Niroshan Dickwella (Sri Lanka), Ruben Trumpelmann (Namibia), Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA)
- Sudurpaschim overseas in squad
- Saif Ali Zaib (England), Scott Kuggeleijn (New Zealand), Brandon McMullen (Scotland)
- Overseas limit
- Maximum four overseas players in a playing XI
- Confirmed XIs
- Announced at the toss, shortly before the 5:00 PM start
Lumbini Lions vs Sudurpaschim Royals opens NPL Season 3 on Monday 26 October at 5:00 PM NST in Kirtipur, and both camps have real selection calls to make from their squads of sixteen. These predicted playing XIs are built from the confirmed Season 3 squads published on the team pages. They are probable lineups, not official ones: the confirmed XIs are announced at the toss.
Lumbini Lions predicted playing XI
Lumbini's likely eleven keeps the spine of the title side and finds room for all three overseas signings.
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aasif Sheikh | Wicket-keeper |
| 2 | Niroshan Dickwella | Batter (overseas) |
| 3 | Rohit Kumar Paudel (c) | All-rounder |
| 4 | Sundeep Jora | Batter |
| 5 | Dinesh Adhikari | All-rounder |
| 6 | Sher Malla | All-rounder |
| 7 | Shadley van Schalkwyk | All-rounder (overseas) |
| 8 | Ruben Trumpelmann | Bowler (overseas) |
| 9 | Kishor Mahato | Bowler |
| 10 | Abhishesh Gautam | Bowler |
| 11 | Tilak Bhandari | Bowler |
The thinking behind Lumbini's lineup
Aasif Sheikh was the Lions' most expensive auction buy at NPR 20 lakh, and as Nepal's regular wicketkeeper he opens the batting and takes the gloves. That frees Dickwella, listed as a wicketkeeper-batter in the squad, to play as a specialist batter alongside him at the top. Dickwella's own NPL record earns the place on its own: 137 runs at 34.25 in six matches last season, and his left hand breaks up a right-handed top order.
Paudel bats at three and bowls, and the middle order of Jora, Adhikari and Malla gives Lumbini batting down to number seven before the all-round depth of van Schalkwyk. All three overseas players start because the squad only carries three, and each fills a separate job: Dickwella at the top, van Schalkwyk's overs and late runs, Trumpelmann with the new ball. The last seam spot goes to Kishor Mahato, a NPR 10 lakh buy, ahead of Durgesh Gupta, while Tilak Bhandari's economy of 5.64, the tightest among Lumbini's bowlers, makes him the lead spinner.
Sudurpaschim Royals predicted playing XI
Sudurpaschim's likely eleven is built on the retained core that has carried them to two finals, with all three overseas signings starting.
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ishan Pandey | Batter |
| 2 | Binod Bhandari | Wicket-keeper |
| 3 | Saif Ali Zaib | All-rounder (overseas) |
| 4 | Dipendra Singh Airee (c) | All-rounder |
| 5 | Aarif Sheikh | Batter |
| 6 | Brandon McMullen | All-rounder (overseas) |
| 7 | Milan Bohara | All-rounder |
| 8 | Scott Kuggeleijn | Bowling all-rounder (overseas) |
| 9 | Abinash Bohara | Bowler |
| 10 | Hemant Dhami | Bowler |
| 11 | Anil Kharel | Bowler |
The thinking behind Sudurpaschim's lineup
Zaib walks straight back into the side he starred for in Season 1: 275 runs, 12 wickets and the Player of the Series award in Royals colours before his season at Chitwan. At number three he gives the top order a left-hander and the attack an extra all-round option, and his record at this ground is already proven.
Bhandari keeps wicket and bats in the top two, as he has through two seasons and 499 runs for the franchise, which means Dipak Bohara, the NPR 10 lakh wicketkeeper signed at the auction, starts the season on the bench. Airee bats at four, where his strike rate of 147.3 does the most damage, and McMullen at six balances the side so the Royals can still field three frontline seamers: Kuggeleijn, Abinash Bohara and Dhami, with Kharel's spin completing the attack.
Bench and impact options
Lumbini's five to miss out are Dilip Nath, Aakash Tripathi, Ajay Chauhan, Arniko Prasad Yadav and Durgesh Gupta. Nath is the hard-luck story of the round: a wicketkeeper who would start for most sides in this league, he sits behind both Aasif Sheikh and Dickwella in this squad. Gupta is the first seamer in if Mahato or Trumpelmann is unavailable.
Sudurpaschim's bench is Hikmat Mahara, Ayub Chand, Dipak Bohara, Sachin Bhatta and Tek Rawat, two of them wicketkeepers, which underlines how firmly the Royals are set on Bhandari's experience for the opener. Across a 32-match season at one ground both benches will get their chances, but openers tend to go to the combinations coaches trust most, which is why these lineups lean on the retained cores. The full squads are listed on the teams page.
Confirmed XIs are announced at the toss
To be clear about what this page is: a predicted lineup, put together from the confirmed squads, the auction prices and two seasons of selection patterns. It is not the official team. The confirmed XIs are named at the toss on Monday, shortly before the 5:00 PM start, and the match page will carry the official lineups with the live score.
Every Season 3 fixture gets the same treatment in our playing XI hub, the match preview covers the final-rematch story, and the opening match streaming guide has the TV and online viewing details.
Lumbini Lions vs Sudurpaschim Royals – Who will win?
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FAQs
What is Lumbini Lions' predicted playing XI for the opener?
Our predicted Lumbini XI is: Aasif Sheikh (wk), Niroshan Dickwella, Rohit Kumar Paudel (c), Sundeep Jora, Dinesh Adhikari, Sher Malla, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ruben Trumpelmann, Kishor Mahato, Abhishesh Gautam and Tilak Bhandari. It is a prediction; the confirmed XI is announced at the toss.
What is Sudurpaschim Royals' predicted playing XI for the opener?
Our predicted Sudurpaschim XI is: Ishan Pandey, Binod Bhandari (wk), Saif Ali Zaib, Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Aarif Sheikh, Brandon McMullen, Milan Bohara, Scott Kuggeleijn, Abinash Bohara, Hemant Dhami and Anil Kharel. It is a prediction; the confirmed XI is announced at the toss.
How many overseas players can play in an NPL playing XI?
A maximum of four overseas players can be named in a playing XI. Both Lumbini and Sudurpaschim carry exactly three overseas players in their Season 3 squads, and all three on each side are in our predicted lineups.
When will the confirmed playing XIs be announced?
At the toss on matchday, Monday 26 October 2026, shortly before the 5:00 PM NST start at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
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