Arjun Gharti NPL 2026 — Runs, Stats and Pokhara

The fifteen-lakh keeper — 65 runs behind the stumps

Arjun Gharti has scored 65 runs in NPL Season 3, keeping wicket for Pokhara Avengers. He was bought at the July 6, 2026 auction for NPR 15 lakh — more than half of the franchise’s NPR 26.75 lakh auction spend.

Wicketkeeper-batter. Auction buy, NPR 15 lakh. Captain: Kushal Bhurtel. Head coach: Ajantha Mendis.

The price was a statement. Pokhara made the wicketkeeping slot the top priority of their rebuild, and Gharti was the answer: the only specialist wicketkeeper in the squad, which makes his place in every XI close to automatic. A keeper who bats settles two positions at once, and for a side rebuilding under a new head coach, that certainty mattered more than any other signing.

His season has been steady rather than spectacular. The 40 not out off 25 balls against Sudurpaschim Royals in the opener was the innings that justified the price — the highest score of his four games — and since then he has made 7, 6 and 12. No fifties, no ducks, and a strike rate of 92.9 that says he has been batting in difficult phases rather than feasting on them.

Season 3 in numbers

All figures cover matches through Match 21, played on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Pokhara Avengers have played five matches; they did not play Match 21.

Numbers from the NPL season file, updated 10 November 2026, covering matches through Match 21. Strike rate is runs per 100 balls; economy is runs per over.

Match by match

Every innings and every spell, newest first. An asterisk means not out.

What the numbers mean

The four innings tell a clear story. He made 40 not out off 25 balls against Sudurpaschim Royals in Match 4, with four fours and a six — the highest score in Pokhara’s 145 that day. Then 7 off 15 against Janakpur Bolts, 6 off 20 against Lumbini Lions and 12 off 10 against Chitwan Rhinos. The 40 not out is the outlier; the rest is a keeper-batter doing the hard middle-order work while the top order around him fails.

His value is not only in the runs. As the only specialist keeper in the squad, Gharti has kept wicket in every match Pokhara have played, and his glovework is the one settled part of a side that has changed its shape around him. The runs need to grow — 65 in four games at an average of 21.67 is honest, not match-winning — but the role is his, and the two remaining matches are his chance to turn a solid season into a decisive one.

Where Pokhara Avengers stand

Gharti’s keeping will be tested twice more, and Pokhara need his batting to grow past the 40 not out he made on the opening day.

Two matches remain, and both are must-win. Biratnagar Kings on Thursday 12 November at 12:30 PM NST, then Kathmandu Gorkhas on Sunday 15 November at 4:30 PM NST, both at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Two wins take Pokhara to six points, but that is only the start of the maths: Chitwan Rhinos would have to lose both of their remaining matches, and net run rate — currently minus 0.707 — would have to fall Pokhara's way. Lose either game and the season is over. Full list: NPL Schedule.