Season 3 in numbers
Four matches, 86 runs at an average of 43, and two wickets at under six an over. Paudel is the only Lion contributing in both disciplines every game, and his numbers show it: no other Lumbini batter has passed 80 runs this season, and no other captain in the league is doing this much with bat and ball at once.
| Batting | M | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | HS | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL Season 3 | 4 | 86 | 67 | 7 | 4 | 47* | 128.36 | 43.00 |
| Bowling | M | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL Season 3 | 4 | 56 | 53 | 2 | 5.68 | 1/2 |
There is no fifty yet — the 47 not out against Pokhara is the closest he has come — but two not outs in four innings lift the average, and a strike rate of 128.36 is the best of any Lumbini batter to have faced more than 30 balls this season. With the ball, his one for two in a single over against Pokhara is the cheapest spell of his season.
Season 3 figures cover every completed match through Match 21 (the abandoned Match 7 produced no play), compiled from the published match scorecards and updated 10 November 2026.
Match by match
Every Rohit Paudel innings and spell in NPL Season 3 so far, in the order they happened.
| Match | Opponent | Batting | Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — 26 Oct | Sudurpaschim Royals | 5* (3 balls) | 1/10 (2.2 ov) |
| 13 — 3 Nov | Pokhara Avengers | 47* (32 balls) | 1/2 (1 ov) |
| 14 — 5 Nov | Janakpur Bolts | 34 (30 balls) | 0/18 (4 ov) |
| 18 — 7 Nov | Kathmandu Gorkhas | 0 (2 balls) | 0/23 (2 ov) |
The 47 not out against Pokhara was the knock that defined his season so far. Chasing 98, the Lions were two down early; Paudel walked in, hit three fours and three sixes, and finished the game with more than eight overs to spare. A week later against Janakpur he made 34 in a total of 149 for 8 — the highest score of that match for Lumbini — and was named Player of the Match as the Lions won by 16 runs. The one blank was the Kathmandu game, a two-ball duck on the night the whole batting order failed and Lumbini were bowled out for 124. The opening night told the other side of his game: five not out to finish a chase of 88, and one for 10 with the ball as the Royals were kept to 87.
Captain of the champions
Paudel is Nepal’s national captain, the man who led the country at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and Nepal’s all-time leading ODI run-scorer with more than 2,200 runs. Lumbini kept him as their marquee player before Season 3, and the 2025 title run explains why.
In that campaign he finished as the franchise’s leading run-scorer with 276 runs and took 10 wickets — and then, in the final against the Royals, produced the spell of the tournament: three for 12 in four overs, including a hat-trick, as Sudurpaschim were bowled out for 85. He bats at three or four and bowls his off-break through the middle overs, which gives the Lions a third spin option alongside Sher Malla and Abhishesh Gautam and lets the captain attack from both ends without weakening the batting. That balance is the reason the title defence is built around him, and the reason the side looks to him first whenever a game drifts.
Where the Lions stand
Lumbini are third after Match 21 — seven points from five games, with the best net run rate in the league at +1.501. The full table is on the NPL Points Table, and every result is on the NPL Results page.
Paudel’s 86 runs lead the Lions’ batting chart, ahead of Niroshan Dickwella’s 75 and Aasif Sheikh’s 61. The gap between the captain and the rest is the story of Lumbini’s season: the top order has given the side starts, but the runs have not yet come in the volume the 2025 title side produced. Two wins from the last two league games would take the Lions to 11 points and a top-two finish; one win should still be enough for the playoffs. Either way, the captain’s bat is the most reliable route there.
What’s next
Two league games left in the Nepal Premier League, then the playoffs. The full list of every NPL fixture is on the NPL Schedule.
- Match 23 — Karnali Yaks vs Lumbini Lions: Thursday 12 November 2026, 4:30 PM NST (3:45 PM PKT, 10:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
- Match 26 — Biratnagar Kings vs Lumbini Lions: Saturday 14 November 2026, 4:30 PM NST (3:45 PM PKT, 10:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
- Playoffs: 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 — every playoff starts at 4:30 PM NST.
Follow every NPL result as it happens on SialTV, with the points table updated after every match day.
Frequently asked questions
How many runs has Rohit Paudel scored in NPL 2026?
86 runs in four innings, at an average of 43.00 and a strike rate of 128.36, with a highest score of 47 not out against Pokhara Avengers. He has also taken two wickets. Figures cover matches 1–21.
Is Rohit Paudel the Lumbini Lions captain?
Yes. Paudel captains Lumbini Lions in NPL Season 3 and is also Nepal’s national captain. He led the Lions to the 2025 title, finishing as the franchise’s leading run-scorer with 276 runs.
When is Lumbini Lions’ next match?
Match 23 against Karnali Yaks on Thursday 12 November 2026, starting at 4:30 PM NST at the TU Ground in Kirtipur. Their last league game is against Biratnagar Kings on Saturday 14 November.