Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts match prediction for NPL Season 3 Match 3: Season 1 champions Janakpur against a settled Karnali side at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Tuesday 27 October at 5:00 PM NST, with Janakpur leading the head-to-head 2-1 and Karnali winners of the last meeting, by 3 runs in Season 2.
Match Details
| Match | Match 3, NPL Season 3 |
| Teams | Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts |
| Date | Tuesday, 27 October 2026 |
| Time | 5:00 PM NPT, 4:45 PM IST |
| Venue | TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur |
| Toss | To be announced |
| Watch live | NetTV (worldwide), Himalaya Sports TV (Nepal), Star Sports Select 2/2 HD (TV, India and South Asia), FanCode (India) |
Team Form
No Season 3 form exists yet, so form means last season plus the changes since. Karnali arrive with a settled core: seven retained players, captain Sompal Kami, coach Gyanendra Malla, and two overseas signings, Scotland spinner Mark Watt and Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Akbar Ali. One absence is confirmed: reported signing Sahibzada Farhan returns to Pakistan for national duty and misses Karnali’s first two matches.
Janakpur go the other way: champions in Season 1, last in Season 2 with a single win, then a rebuild. Captain Harmeet Singh, the USA all-rounder, leads five retained players under coach Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and the overseas four are Harmeet, Iftikhar Ahmed, Moeen Ali and Jimmy Neesham. Leg-spinner Lalit Rajbanshi is the side’s marquee player. Reported signing Hunain Shah, the Pakistan fast bowler, is not in the 17-man squad listed on the team page.
Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts Head-to-Head Record
Three meetings, two Janakpur wins.
| Season 1 | Janakpur won by 8 wickets (first meeting) |
| Season 1 Qualifier 2 (19 Dec 2024) | Janakpur chased 119, won by 2 wickets |
| Season 2 (7 Dec 2025) | Karnali defended 129/9, won by 3 runs |
Janakpur lead 2-1, but Karnali own the most recent meeting, so neither side owns this fixture outright.
Venue and Pitch Report
All 32 Season 3 matches are at TU Ground, Kirtipur, where the record book covers the full range: 220 for 6 by Biratnagar (highest), 51 all out by Janakpur (lowest), and 114 not out by Mark Watt. No dependable par score exists here, because the pitch has produced shootouts and collapses in the same week.
This one is different from the day game in one big way: it starts at 5:00 PM and finishes under floodlights, with sunset at about 5:24 PM. Evening dew later in the night game makes defending a total harder, so the toss and the first six overs carry more weight than they do in daylight.
Weather
The forecast for Kirtipur on Tuesday is a sunny day with a high of 27°C and a partly cloudy night with a low of 13°C, rain chance zero, so no interruption is expected. The match starts in daylight and finishes under floodlights.
Probable Playing XI
Both lineups are probable, not official: confirmed XIs come at the toss. Karnali start both of their overseas players; Janakpur start all four of theirs, the maximum allowed. The full reasoning is in our predicted playing XIs for Match 3.
Karnali Yaks:
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shubh Kansakar | Batter |
| 2 | Pawan Sarraf | Batter |
| 3 | Unish Bikram Singh Thakuri | Batter |
| 4 | Gulshan Kumar Jha | All-rounder |
| 5 | Dipendra Rawat | All-rounder |
| 6 | Akbar Ali (overseas) | Wicketkeeper |
| 7 | Diwan Pun | All-rounder |
| 8 | Sompal Kami (c) | Bowler |
| 9 | Mark Watt (overseas) | Bowler |
| 10 | Nandan Yadav | Bowler |
| 11 | Yuvraj Khatri | Bowler |
Janakpur Bolts:
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anil Kumar Sah | Wicketkeeper |
| 2 | Mayan Yadav | Batter |
| 3 | Trit Raj Das | Batter |
| 4 | Moeen Ali (overseas) | All-rounder |
| 5 | Iftikhar Ahmed (overseas) | All-rounder |
| 6 | Jimmy Neesham (overseas) | All-rounder |
| 7 | Harmeet Singh (c) (overseas) | All-rounder |
| 8 | Amar Singh Rautela | All-rounder |
| 9 | Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi | Bowler |
| 10 | Aaditya Mahata | Bowler |
| 11 | Bikash Aagri | Bowler |
Key Players to Watch
Batters. Moeen Ali (Janakpur): the two-time World Cup winner, batting in a long overseas middle order. Jimmy Neesham (Janakpur): 247 runs at a strike rate of 196.0 in Season 1 for this franchise. Iftikhar Ahmed (Janakpur): the Pakistan middle-order finisher, 66 T20Is behind him.
Bowlers. Mark Watt (Karnali): the Scotland spinner who owns this ground’s highest individual score. Lalit Rajbanshi (Janakpur): the marquee leg-spinner. Harmeet Singh (Janakpur): the captain and USA spinner, 133 runs and 12 wickets in Season 2.
Fantasy Picks
Fantasy picks, not betting advice. Captain: Mark Watt, the overseas spinner with the ground’s biggest innings behind him. Vice-captain: Moeen Ali, who contributes with bat and ball.
Top picks: Watt, Moeen Ali, Neesham, Harmeet Singh, Iftikhar Ahmed, Gulshan Jha and Sompal Kami. Differentials: Akbar Ali behind the stumps and Rajbanshi with leg-spin. Avoid loading up on one side’s middle order: this fixture is 2-1 for a reason.
Toss Prediction
Expect the captain winning the toss to lean towards bowling first. This is a night game under lights with evening dew later on, and the tournament opener was won by the chasing side. The side batting first will want well past 170; the side chasing will back its depth and the dew.
Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts Match Prediction: Who Will Win?
Our pick is Karnali Yaks, by a small margin, on weight of the last meeting and a settled core: seven retained players, Watt’s ground record, and a 3-run win over this opponent in Season 2.
The case for Janakpur is real, which is why confidence stays low: the head-to-head is 2-1 their way, they hold a Season 1 title, and Moeen Ali, Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed and Harmeet Singh give them four overseas all-rounders. If Moeen and Neesham both fire, this pick flips. Form, key battles and venue are in our match preview, and ball-by-ball coverage sits on the match page.
Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts – Who will win?
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FAQs
Who will win Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts today?
Our prediction is Karnali Yaks by a narrow margin, based on their settled retained core and the last meeting, won by 3 runs in Season 2. Confidence is low: Janakpur lead the head-to-head 2-1 and field four overseas all-rounders.
Where can I watch Karnali Yaks vs Janakpur Bolts live?
Himalaya Sports TV in Nepal, Star Sports Select 2 / Select 2 HD on TV in India and South Asia, NetTV worldwide, and FanCode in India.
What is the pitch report for TU Ground, Kirtipur?
The ground has produced the league’s highest total (220 for 6, by Biratnagar) and its lowest (51 all out), so no dependable par score exists. This is an evening game under floodlights, with evening dew a factor later on.
What time does the match start?
Tuesday, 27 October 2026, at 5:00 PM NPT and 4:45 PM IST, at the TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
Conclusion
Karnali’s settled core makes them narrow favourites, but Janakpur’s 2-1 head-to-head says they are no underdogs. Expect a close evening game decided by the new ball, the middle overs, and whether dew arrives before the chase tightens.
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