NPL 2026 in Japan: How to Watch the Nepal Premier League Live and JST Start Times
NPL Season 3 runs October 26 to November 21 — matches start 4:15 PM and 8:45 PM Japan time for the country's large Nepali community.
By Nepalese Events Australia Editorial
Published: 2026-10-29T06:00:00.000000Z
Category: Sports
Japan's Nepali community — one of Asia's largest — gets near-perfect NPL hours: matches start at 4:15 PM and 8:45 PM Japan Standard Time, both inside waking hours. NPL Season 3 runs October 26 to November 21, 2026 at Kirtipur. Lumbini Lions opened their title defence by beating Sudurpaschim Royals by 7 wickets on October 26; Chitwan Rhinos edged Biratnagar Kings by 8 runs and Karnali Yaks beat Janakpur Bolts by 19 runs on October 27; and Sudurpaschim bounced back to beat Pokhara Avengers by 6 wickets on October 28.
How to watch in Japan
Every match is played at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. In India the games air on Star Sports Select and stream on FanCode; in Nepal, Himalaya TV carries the linear broadcast. For everyone else — including the whole diaspora — the official option is the NETTV app's NPL Season Pass (sold worldwide, purchasable through eSewa), which streams all 32 matches live. The NETTV season pass via eSewa is the official stream for Japan-d viewers.
Japan start times
• Double-header days: 4:15 PM and 8:45 PM JST
• Single-match days: 8:45 PM JST
• The 8:45 PM slot suits after-work viewing; the 4:15 PM game suits weekends and replay.
Key dates
• League stage: October 26 – November 15 (rest days Oct 30, Nov 4, 8 and 11 — the league pauses for Laxmi Puja and Bhai Tika)
• Qualifier 1: Tuesday, 17 November
• Eliminator: Wednesday, 18 November
• Qualifier 2: Thursday, 19 November
• Final: Saturday, 21 November
Eight franchises contest Season 3: Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts (inaugural 2024 champions), Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas, Lumbini Lions (defending champions), Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals. Each plays the others once in the round-robin; the top four reach the playoffs. This is the first edition with ICC sanction and DRS, and the reported overseas signings — David Warner, Rashid Khan, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan and Moeen Ali among them — make it the highest-profile league Nepal has hosted.
The league rests for Tihar on November 8 and 11 — see the Japan Tihar 2026 guide. Updates: Japan desk and /world/jp; the JPY–NPR rate is on the exchange page.
Photo: File:Nepali National Cricket team.JPG by Krish Dulal via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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