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Janakpur Bolts Franchise - NPL T20 Cricket

Janakpur Bolts

The first Nepal Premier League champions. Janakpur won the inaugural title in 2024 and, under captain Harmeet Singh, are chasing a second crown in Season 3.

The Janakpur Bolts are a Nepal Premier League (NPL) franchise based in Janakpur, Madhesh Province. Harmeet Singh captains the side in Season 3.

Janakpur won the first NPL season in 2024. The Bolts finished eighth in Season 2 in 2025, and in this page, you will read about the full Janakpur Bolts squad 2026 — every confirmed player, the Season 3 fixtures, the club's season-by-season record and the latest team news.

2026 Season Outlook

  • Entity Profile: Janakpur Bolts is a professional T20 franchise competing in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2026 season.
  • Latest Updates: Janakpur Bolts have completely restructured their leadership. USA international Harmeet Singh has been named the new captain. Following Aasif Sheikh's departure, the team has appointed left-arm spinner Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi as their marquee player.
  • Strategic Focus: The inaugural-season champions target a second title with four proven overseas winners — Moeen Ali, Jimmy Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed and Harmeet Singh — under Shivnarine Chanderpaul's coaching.

Quick Facts

Founded2024
CaptainHarmeet Singh
NPL Titles1 (2024)
OwnerDream Sports
Franchise FeeNPR 2.05 Crore
Home CityJanakpur, Madhesh Province
Home GroundKirtipur Stadium
Team ColorsBlue & Yellow
StatusSeason 1 Champions

Season by Season

Season League Position Final Result
Season 1 (2024) Playoffs Champions — beat Sudurpaschim Royals by 5 wickets in the final
Season 2 (2025) 8th League stage
Season 3 (2026) Starts October 26, 2026 —

Key Current Players

These names are from the latest retained-player list and the completed July 6 auction.

Janakpur Bolts Season 3 Full Squad

Official Janakpur Bolts team logo - Nepal Premier League 2026
Janakpur Bolts
17 players5 retained8 auction buys4 overseas signings

Auction spend: NPR 41.25 lakh • Purse left: NPR 25 lakh

Anil Kumar Sah
Retained

Anil Kumar Sah

Retained player

View Biography
Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi
Retained

Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi

Retained player

View Biography
Mayan Yadav
Retained

Mayan Yadav

Retained player

View Biography
Aaditya Mahata
Retained

Aaditya Mahata

Retained player

View Biography
Bikash Aagri
Retained

Bikash Aagri

Retained player

View Biography
Aashutosh Pandey
Bought 2L
Auction buy

Aashutosh Pandey

Auction buy - Player

View Biography
Abhisekh Tiwari
Bought 5L
Auction buy

Abhisekh Tiwari

Auction buy - All-rounder

View Biography
Amar Singh Rautela
Bought 5L
Auction buy

Amar Singh Rautela

Auction buy - All-rounder

View Biography
Bishal Kumar Patel
Bought 5L
Auction buy

Bishal Kumar Patel

Auction buy - All-rounder

View Biography
Bishal Susling
Bought 2L
Auction buy

Bishal Susling

Auction buy - All-rounder

View Biography
Rit Gautam
Bought 4.25L
Auction buy

Rit Gautam

Auction buy - Batter

View Biography
Santosh Karki
Bought 3L
Auction buy

Santosh Karki

Auction buy - Wicket-keeper

View Biography
Trit Raj Das
Bought 15L
Auction buy

Trit Raj Das

Auction buy - Batter

View Biography
Moeen Ali
Overseas
Overseas signing

Moeen Ali 🏴󐁧󐁢󐁥󐁮󐁧󐁿

Overseas signing - All-rounder

View Biography

Janakpur Bolts overseas signings — Season 3

Direct overseas contracts for NPL Season 3. Availability is subject to national duty and league clearance.

Overseas playerCountryRole
Harmeet SinghUSAAll-rounder (captain)
Iftikhar AhmedPakistanAll-rounder
Moeen AliEnglandAll-rounder
Jimmy NeeshamNew ZealandAll-rounder

Meet the overseas signings

Harmeet Singh (United States): the Mumbai-born slow left-arm spinner captains Janakpur in Season 3 after losing two straight NPL finals with Sudurpaschim Royals, the first of them to Janakpur. He scored 133 runs and took 12 wickets in Season 2, and for the USA he has 31 wickets in 29 T20Is.

Iftikhar Ahmed (Pakistan): the Peshawar-born middle-order finisher bloomed late for Pakistan, playing 66 T20Is (998 runs) and 28 ODIs, and across 328 career T20 matches he has scored 6,181 runs at a strike rate of 129.22. Janakpur have signed him as their right-handed spin-hitter, with his off-breaks as a part-time option.

Moeen Ali (England): a two-time World Cup winner with England — the 2019 ODI title and the 2022 T20 title, where he was vice-captain — Moeen retired from international cricket in September 2024 after 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is. His 439 domestic T20 appearances make him one of the most experienced players in Season 3.

Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand): the seam-bowling all-rounder returns to the franchise whose first title he powered, scoring 247 runs at a strike rate of 196.0 and taking seven wickets in Season 1. After a quieter Season 2 with Pokhara Avengers, the 349-match T20 veteran is again Janakpur's late-overs finisher.

Janakpur Bolts retained players and auction buys

Only confirmed retained players and July 6, 2026 auction buys are shown here, so older squad names stay out of the team page.

Retained players

Retained playerRole
Anil Kumar SahWicket-keeper
Lalit Narayan RajbanshiBowler
Mayan YadavBatter
Aaditya MahataBowler
Bikash AagriBowler

Auction buys with confirmed prices

Auction playerRolePrice
Aashutosh PandeyPlayerNPR 2 lakh
Abhisekh TiwariAll-rounderNPR 5 lakh
Amar Singh RautelaAll-rounderNPR 5 lakh
Bishal Kumar PatelAll-rounderNPR 5 lakh
Bishal SuslingAll-rounderNPR 2 lakh
Rit GautamBatterNPR 4.25 lakh
Santosh KarkiWicket-keeperNPR 3 lakh
Trit Raj DasBatterNPR 15 lakh

Janakpur Bolts Fixtures 2026

Nepal Premier League Season 3 runs from October 26 to November 21, 2026. Below are the Janakpur Bolts' Season 3 fixtures (subject to change). Open any card for the full match preview:

NEXT MATCH
27
Oct | Tue
Match 3UPCOMING
5:00 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Karnali Yaks
Janakpur Bolts
27
Oct | Tue
Match 3UPCOMING
5:00 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Karnali Yaks
Janakpur Bolts
29
Oct | Thu
Match 5UPCOMING
12:30 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Janakpur Bolts
Kathmandu Gorkhas
1
Nov | Sun
Match 9UPCOMING
5:00 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Janakpur Bolts
Pokhara Avengers
3
Nov | Tue
Match 12UPCOMING
12:30 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Biratnagar Kings
Janakpur Bolts
5
Nov | Thu
Match 14UPCOMING
12:30 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Lumbini Lions
Janakpur Bolts
10
Nov | Tue
Match 21UPCOMING
5:00 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Sudurpaschim Royals
Janakpur Bolts
13
Nov | Fri
Match 25UPCOMING
5:00 PMTribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Janakpur Bolts
Chitwan Rhinos

Janakpur Bolts Records

  • Most runs: Lahiru Milantha is the franchise's all-time top scorer with 323 runs in 12 matches — 293 of them in Season 1, the most by any player in that tournament.
  • Most wickets: Lalit Rajbanshi leads the Bolts' bowling with 21 wickets in 15 matches; his 17 wickets in Season 1 were the joint-most in the tournament.
  • Season 1 title: Janakpur won the inaugural NPL on 21 December 2024, beating Sudurpaschim Royals by five wickets in the final — 185/5 in 19.2 overs chasing 185, with Lahiru Milantha's 87 off 49 balls named player of the match.
  • Lowest team total: The Bolts also hold the league's unwanted record: 51 all out against Sudurpaschim Royals on 11 December 2024 is the lowest team total in NPL history.
  • All-time record: Played 17, won 8, lost 9 across the first two seasons — champions in 2024, then bottom of the table in eighth in 2025.

Janakpur Bolts All-Time Top Run Scorers

PlayerRunsMatchesAverageStrike Rate
Lahiru Milantha3231229.36125.2
Aasif Sheikh2671715.71109.4
James Neesham247935.29196.0
Anil Sah2051317.08110.2
Sanjay Krishnamurthi167727.83127.5

Janakpur Bolts All-Time Top Wicket Takers

PlayerWicketsMatchesAverageEconomy
Lalit Rajbanshi211516.575.94
Kishore Mahato151422.408.41
Mohammad Mohsin12916.675.91
Harsh Thaker11917.916.30
James Neesham7933.298.96
Sher Malla7718.867.04

Season 2 (2025) Match Results

DateMatchOpponentScoresResult
17 Nov 2025Match 1Kathmandu GorkhasJanakpur Bolts 130/6 (20 ov) · Kathmandu Gorkhas 131/5 (18 ov)Lost by 5 wickets
24 Nov 2025Match 9Biratnagar KingsBiratnagar Kings 135/7 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 126/9 (20 ov)Lost by 9 runs
27 Nov 2025Match 14Pokhara AvengersPokhara Avengers 155 all out (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 130/8 (20 ov)Lost by 25 runs
29 Nov 2025Match 18Sudurpaschim RoyalsJanakpur Bolts 145/8 (20 ov) · Sudurpaschim Royals 148/4 (17.4 ov)Lost by 6 wickets
2 Dec 2025Match 20Chitwan RhinosChitwan Rhinos 176/4 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 180/4 (17.3 ov)Won by 6 wickets
5 Dec 2025Match 25Lumbini LionsJanakpur Bolts 132/6 (20 ov) · Lumbini Lions 136/6 (19.1 ov)Lost by 4 wickets
7 Dec 2025Match 28Karnali YaksKarnali Yaks 129/9 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 126/7 (20 ov)Lost by 3 runs

Season 1 (2024) Match Results — Champions

DateMatchOpponentScoresResult
30 Nov 2024Match 1Biratnagar KingsBiratnagar Kings 127 all out (19 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 131/2 (15.3 ov)Won by 8 wickets
2 Dec 2024Match 3Karnali YaksKarnali Yaks 141/7 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 142/2 (15.1 ov)Won by 8 wickets
5 Dec 2024Match 8Pokhara AvengersPokhara Avengers 138/7 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 143/3 (17.1 ov)Won by 7 wickets
8 Dec 2024Match 14Lumbini LionsJanakpur Bolts 136/9 (20 ov) · Lumbini Lions 135/8 (20 ov)Won by 1 run
11 Dec 2024Match 18Sudurpaschim RoyalsSudurpaschim Royals 123/9 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 51 all out (12.1 ov)Lost by 72 runs
12 Dec 2024Match 21Kathmandu GurkhasKathmandu Gurkhas 101 all out (19.3 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 104/5 (15.5 ov)Won by 5 wickets
14 Dec 2024Match 25Chitwan RhinosChitwan Rhinos 180/5 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 148 all out (18 ov)Lost by 32 runs
18 Dec 2024Qualifier 1Sudurpaschim RoyalsJanakpur Bolts 139/9 (20 ov) · Sudurpaschim Royals 141/2 (18.3 ov)Lost by 8 wickets
19 Dec 2024Qualifier 2Karnali YaksKarnali Yaks 118/9 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 119/8 (19 ov)Won by 2 wickets
21 Dec 2024FinalSudurpaschim RoyalsSudurpaschim Royals 184/9 (20 ov) · Janakpur Bolts 185/5 (19.2 ov)Won by 5 wickets

All 17 matches were played at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Across the two seasons the Bolts have played 17, won 8 and lost 9.

Coaching Staff

Season 3 is Janakpur's second campaign under West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who replaced inaugural-title coach Pubudu Dassanayake in October 2025.

Head Coach: Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Chanderpaul was appointed in October 2025 and has signed a multi-year deal with the Bolts, having previously coached the USA women's national team and the West Indies Under-19s. As a player he scored 11,867 runs in 164 Tests for the West Indies — second only to Brian Lara — and was named ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2008.

Latest Janakpur Bolts News

Janakpur Bolts Rebuild After Last-Place NPL Finish
Oct 23, 2026

Janakpur Bolts Rebuild After Last-Place NPL Finish

Janakpur Bolts rebuilt for NPL Season 3 after a last-place finish: Aasif Sheikh released as marquee, Lalit Rajbanshi named, Moeen Ali and Jimmy Neesham signed.

Read More ->
Janakpur Bolts Reveal Season 3 Jersey in Human-Made Film
Oct 21, 2026

Janakpur Bolts Reveal Season 3 Jersey in Human-Made Film

Janakpur Bolts unveiled their new NPL Season 3 jersey in a human-made film, shunning AI content for a rebuild story: this season, we play like Janakpur.

Read More ->
Moeen Ali Joins Janakpur Bolts for NPL Season 3
Oct 8, 2026

Moeen Ali Joins Janakpur Bolts for NPL Season 3

Two-time World Cup winner Moeen Ali has joined Janakpur Bolts for NPL Season 3, promising supporters he will give his all ahead of the October 26 season opener.

Read More ->
Harmeet Singh Named Janakpur Bolts Captain for NPL 2026
Aug 8, 2026

Harmeet Singh Named Janakpur Bolts Captain for NPL 2026

Janakpur Bolts have signed Harmeet Singh and named the USA all-rounder captain for Nepal Premier League Season 3.

Read More ->

More coverage in the NPL news hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the captain?

Harmeet Singh is the captain for 2026.

What is their biggest achievement?

Winning the first NPL title in 2024. Players from the Bolts' first two seasons include Lahiru Milantha (Season 1, 2024 and Season 2, 2025), Tul Thapa (Season 1, 2024 and Season 2, 2025) and Wayne Parnell (Season 2, 2025).

How many foreign players are in the team?

Janakpur Bolts have confirmed four overseas signings for Season 3: New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham, USA's Harmeet Singh, Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed and England's Moeen Ali, listed in the overseas signings panel above alongside the retained players and auction buys.

When is their first 2026 match?

On October 27 against Karnali Yaks.

Any recent changes?

New signings include Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Lahiru Samarakoon. They also announced a new jersey and coaching team.

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