NPL 2026 in New Zealand: How to Watch the Nepal Premier League Live and NZDT Start Times
NPL Season 3 runs October 26 to November 21 — matches start 7:45 PM and 12:15 AM New Zealand time for the growing Kiwi-Nepali community.
By Nepalese Events Australia Editorial
Published: 2026-10-29T05:41:43.000000Z
Category: Sports
New Zealand's growing Nepali community can watch NPL Season 3 (October 26 – November 21, 2026) live at reasonable evening hours: matches start at 7:45 PM and 12:15 AM NZDT. 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 New Zealand
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 is the official stream for NZ viewers.
New Zealand start times
• Double-header days: 7:45 PM and 12:15 AM NZDT
• Single-match days: 12:15 AM NZDT
• The early game is prime time; the late game suits dedicated fans.
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.
Tihar rest days (Nov 8 and 11) keep the festival clear — see the New Zealand Tihar 2026 guide. Updates: NZ desk and /world/nz; the NZD–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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