James Neesham — back where he won the first title

The returning champion, still finding his best

James Neesham has scored 82 runs in five matches in NPL Season 3 since returning to Janakpur Bolts, the club he powered to the inaugural 2024 title. The New Zealand all-rounder’s best innings so far is 27 off 15 balls against Biratnagar Kings, and he made 20 off 25 in the Match 21 defeat to Sudurpaschim Royals.

All-rounder. Overseas signing. Captain: Harmeet Singh. Head coach: Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

James Neesham is a New Zealand all-rounder returning to Janakpur Bolts for NPL Season 3 after powering their inaugural 2024 title run, his return confirmed on 25 August 2026. Now 36, he is a franchise-circuit freelancer: 349 T20 appearances, more than 4,700 runs at a strike rate above 140 and close to 290 wickets, plus 3,309 runs and 149 wickets for New Zealand. In the 2024 NPL he scored 247 runs in nine matches at a strike rate above 196 with seven wickets — the defining all-round return of the title run.

His Season 2 stint with Pokhara Avengers, 99 runs and five wickets in four matches, was quieter. In Season 3 he is the only overseas seam-bowling all-rounder in a spin-built squad, and the finisher the side looks to when the innings needs a late push. He has batted in all five matches he has played and bowled in three of them.

The runs have come in small pieces rather than one big innings: 15 off 14 against Karnali Yaks, 11 off 11 against Pokhara Avengers, 27 off 15 against Biratnagar Kings, 9 off 11 against Lumbini Lions, and 20 off 25 against Sudurpaschim Royals in Match 21. With the ball he has one wicket in three matches — 1 for 16 against Pokhara Avengers — at an economy above 10.

Season 3 in numbers

All figures cover matches through Match 21, played on Tuesday 10 November 2026.

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, in match order. An asterisk means not out.

What the numbers mean

Eighty-two runs at 16.40 and a strike rate of 107.89 is a long way from his 2024 return, when he struck at above 196. The gap is partly role: he is batting lower down a struggling order and rarely getting the balls to build an innings — his longest stay at the crease this season is 25 balls in Match 21. But the bowling is the clearer concern. One wicket in six overs at an economy of 10.17 means the seam option has not given Harmeet Singh the control the spinners have.

None of that erases what he is for. In a side that has lost four of six matches, Neesham is the one player who has won this tournament before — with this club. His 20 in Match 21 was the second-highest score in a total of 93, and his 27 against Biratnagar came in a two-run defeat Janakpur had in their hands. If the Bolts reach Friday’s shootout against Chitwan Rhinos with anything to play for, the innings they need from him is the one he played two seasons ago.

What Janakpur need now

Fifth place, 4 points, one match left — that is where Janakpur Bolts stand after Match 21. The last league game is against Chitwan Rhinos on Friday 13 November at 4:30 PM NST (3:45 PM PKT, 10:45 AM UTC) at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, and only a win keeps the season alive. Chitwan have 5 points, so a Bolts win lifts Janakpur past them; then the arithmetic needs Chitwan to lose their final match to Karnali Yaks on Sunday, while Biratnagar Kings and Karnali Yaks win at most one of their two remaining games each. Lose on Friday and the season ends outright. The playoffs begin with Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 17 November and end with the final on Saturday 21 November.