Pokhara Avengers vs Kathmandu Gorkhas — Match 28 Preview

Pokhara Avengers vs Kathmandu Gorkhas, Sunday, 15 November 2026 at 4:30 PM NST

The 28th match of the Nepal Premier League season is the evening game of Sunday 15 November 2026, the final day of the league stage, starting at 4:30 PM NST — 10:45 AM UTC, 3:45 PM PKT — at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. It follows the afternoon match between Chitwan Rhinos and Karnali Yaks, and when it ends, the league stage is over and the four playoff teams are known.

This is the first meeting of the two sides this season. Kathmandu Gorkhas lead the table on 8 points from five matches with a net run rate of +1.168; Pokhara Avengers sit last on 2 points from five matches. The full scorecard will appear on this page once the match is played.

Pokhara arrive at the final league match knowing exactly what they need, because every other result is already in. Kathmandu arrive knowing a win would cap a season in which they have won four in a row — and that even a defeat is unlikely to cost them a playoff place. The two sides want very different things from the same evening.

Scorecard

Match yet to begin. The scorecard appears here once the match starts.

Live

Match yet to begin. Live updates appear here once the match starts.

Recent form

Recent results only — every score below is from Season 3, matches 1 to 21.

Pokhara's season has been two different stories. The first was four straight defeats: by 6 wickets to Sudurpaschim Royals in Match 4, by 9 runs to Janakpur Bolts in Match 9, by 8 wickets to Lumbini Lions in Match 13 and by 30 runs to Chitwan Rhinos in Match 17. The second began in Match 19, when they posted 217/3 against Karnali Yaks — the highest total of their season — and won by 63 runs. It was their first win, and it showed what the batting can do when it fires as a unit.

Kathmandu's season has been one story all the way through. They lost their opener to Janakpur Bolts by 8 wickets in Match 5, and they have not lost since: a 4-wicket win over Karnali Yaks in Match 10, chasing 180/6; a 9-wicket win over Biratnagar Kings in Match 15, after bowling them out for 83; a 36-run win over Lumbini Lions in Match 18; and a 10-run win over Chitwan Rhinos in Match 20, defending 180/8. Four wins in a row, three of them by clear margins, and a net run rate of +1.168 that leads the league.

Playoff race

Points table after Match 21, played on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The top four qualify for the playoffs.

For Pokhara, the maths is simple and unforgiving. A win takes them to 4 points if they lost on Thursday, and to 6 if they won both games — and with a net run rate of −0.707 they would still need several other results to have gone their way across the final weekend to reach the top four. A defeat leaves them on 2 points if they also lost on Thursday, or 4 if they won that game, and ends their season either way. This is their final league match, and there is no result after this one that can help them.

For Kathmandu, a win takes them to 10 points if they lost on Friday, and to 12 if they won both games — and depending on the other results, that could seal first place and a direct route to Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 17 November. A defeat leaves them on 8 points if they also lost on Friday, or 10 if they won that game, and with a net run rate of +1.168 — the best in the league — they would still be almost certain of a playoff place, most likely in the top two. The difference for Kathmandu is between first and second, not between qualifying and going home.

When this match ends, the league stage is complete and the playoff line-up is set: Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 17 November, the Eliminator on Wednesday 18 November, Qualifier 2 on Thursday 19 November and the final on Saturday 21 November, all at 4:30 PM NST at Kirtipur. Four teams qualify, and Sunday evening decides which four they are.

Players to watch

Season 3 numbers only, from matches 1 to 21. Every name below links to that player's profile.

Kushal Bhurtel leads Pokhara's batting with 136 runs in five matches and a highest score of 62, and Yuvraaj Samra has 121 runs in just two matches, including a century — 102 against Karnali Yaks in Match 19, the innings that won Pokhara their only game. If Samra repeats even half of that on Sunday, Pokhara have a total to defend.

With the ball, Mahedi Hasan and Bipin Khatri have 5 wickets each for Pokhara, and both will need to keep Kathmandu's openers quiet in the first six overs. Pokhara's bowling conceded 145 or more in three of their four defeats this season, so early wickets are not a luxury — they are the plan.

For Kathmandu, David Warner has 127 runs in four matches with a highest score of 66, and Rashid Khan has 120 runs in four matches with two fifties. Karan KC, the captain, has 7 wickets in five matches. Kathmandu's strength is that the runs and wickets come from different players every game, and no single dismissal changes the shape of their side.

Head to head

Pokhara Avengers and Kathmandu Gorkhas have not met before in Season 3, so this is their first meeting of the season. It is a fitting way to close the league stage: the team at the top against the team at the bottom, with nothing in the head-to-head record to separate them and everything in the table to play for.

The shared opponents tell the story of the gap. Both sides have played Karnali Yaks, Chitwan Rhinos and Janakpur Bolts. Kathmandu beat Karnali by 4 wickets and Chitwan by 10 runs, and lost only to Janakpur; Pokhara beat Karnali by 63 runs, and lost to both Chitwan and Janakpur. The one result that breaks the pattern is Pokhara's 63-run win over Karnali — the biggest margin either side has produced — and it is the reason Sunday evening is not a formality.

Match information

Start time 4:30 PM NST (10:45 AM UTC, 3:45 PM PKT). Match yet to begin — the scorecard will appear on this page after the match.

Previous and next matches

← Match 27

NPL Schedule — playoffs