Player details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Bipin Rawal |
| Country | Nepal |
| Playing role | Wicketkeeper |
| NPL team (Season 3) | Chitwan Rhinos |
| Joined | Auction listing — NPR 2 lakh (re-bought) |
Released, then bought back
Rawal was part of Chitwan’s 2024 squad — the campaign that reached the Eliminator — but was released before the mega auction and re-purchased. Released before the auction and bought back, his arc has a market verdict inside it: the franchise let him test his value and still decided he was worth re-purchasing at 2 lakh.
He returns knowing the dressing room, the coaches and the 2024 standard — a playoff run — that this squad is trying to rediscover after a two-win Season 2. That familiarity is worth more than it looks on a squad list: a keeper who already knows the bowlers’ plans, the field settings and the ground is ready from day one.
The keeping contest
As the squad’s listed wicketkeeper, Rawal’s route into the XI runs through outperforming the other domestic keeping option — Arjun Saud, who has kept in all four result games so far and made 72 runs, the most of any player in the verified squad. Two keepers in a 15-player squad means the gloves are genuinely contested, not shared by rota.
The wicketkeeper’s T20 game is two disciplines in one selection: the glovework and the batting. Behind the stumps, the keeper has to switch from seam movement to spin within the same innings — standing back for the quicks, then up for Raza’s off-spin and Malla’s slow left-arm orthodox. With the bat, the keeper’s runs are the tiebreaker when the gloves are even — and that is where Saud currently leads.
No batting record yet
There is no batting or bowling entry for him in the Season 3 statistics through Match 21 — he has not batted or bowled in a league game yet this season. That is the honest state of the record, not a gap in the page: the numbers will appear here as soon as he gets his first game.
Saud has kept wicket in every result game so far, which leaves Rawal waiting for the moment the balance shifts — a rotation, a form dip, or a tactical change for the last two games. Chitwan’s results so far are on the NPL Results page, and the keeping job has not changed hands yet.
The wait is not a verdict. A second keeper in a 15-player squad is insurance the franchise paid for deliberately — and insurance gets used exactly when the season gets tightest, which is where Chitwan now are.
Two games left
Chitwan are fourth after Match 21, with five points from five games and a net run rate of +0.009. The full table is on the NPL Points Table, and the remaining fixtures are on the NPL Schedule. Two league games are left: Janakpur Bolts on Friday 13 November and Karnali Yaks on Sunday 15 November. Win both and the Rhinos reach nine points — enough to guarantee a playoff place.
For Rawal, the run-in is two more chances for the gloves to change hands — and a reminder that a squad built for a playoff push needs its second keeper ready. Every Chitwan result is on the Nepal Premier League hub — follow it all on SialTV.
Frequently asked questions
Was Bipin Rawal in Chitwan’s 2024 squad?
Yes. He was part of the 2024 squad that reached the Eliminator, was released before the mega auction, and was bought back for NPR 2 lakh.
How much did Chitwan pay to re-buy Bipin Rawal?
NPR 2 lakh at the July 6, 2026 mega auction.
Has Bipin Rawal played in Season 3?
There is no batting record for him in the Season 3 statistics through Match 21 — Arjun Saud has kept wicket in every result game so far.