Season 3 in numbers
Four matches, 1 wicket at an economy of 7.59, and 3 runs with the bat. The captain has bowled 13.5 overs in Season 3 — the most of any Biratnagar bowler — and taken one wicket, against Karnali Yaks.
| Batting | M | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | HS | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL Season 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3* | 42.86 | 3.00 |
| Bowling | M | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL Season 3 | 4 | 83 | 105 | 1 | 7.59 | 1/35 |
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.
The single wicket came in the 187-run chase against Karnali, his 1 for 35 in three and a half overs. The other three games brought nothing: 0 for 23 against Chitwan Rhinos, 0 for 27 against Janakpur Bolts, and 0 for 20 against Kathmandu Gorkhas. The economy rate of 7.59 is respectable — he is not being hit around the ground — but a wrist-spinner’s job is wickets, and the wickets are missing.
With the bat he has barely been needed: 0 from 2 balls against Chitwan, and 3 not out from 5 balls against Kathmandu. He bats at ten or eleven, so the bat is not the measure of his season. The measure is the one wicket, against a 2025 return of 17.
Match by match
Every Sandeep Lamichhane spell in NPL Season 3 so far, in the order they happened.
| Match | Opponent | Batting | Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 — 26 Oct | Chitwan Rhinos | 0 (2 balls) | 0/23 (4 ov) |
| 6 — 30 Oct | Karnali Yaks | Did not bat | 1/35 (3.5 ov) |
| 12 — 3 Nov | Janakpur Bolts | Did not bat | 0/27 (4 ov) |
| 15 — 6 Nov | Kathmandu Gorkhas | 3* (5 balls) | 0/20 (2 ov) |
The Karnali game was his best night and his worst result at once: 1 for 35 as Sompal Kami hit 62 not out and took 4 for 33 to win the game for Karnali. Against Chitwan he bowled four overs for 23 without a wicket in the eight-run defeat; against Janakpur he bowled four for 27 in the two-run win; against Kathmandu he bowled two for 20 as the Kings were bowled out for 83.
He did not play the five-over game against Sudurpaschim Royals — the one Biratnagar win in which the captain’s four overs were not needed. In a five-over game there is no room for a wrist-spinner to work through a spell, and the Kings won without him.
The captain of the Kings
Lamichhane is Nepal’s all-time leading wicket-taker in both ODIs and T20Is, and the captain and marquee player of Biratnagar Kings. Retained on 16 June 2026, he was the joint-leading wicket-taker of NPL 2025 with 17 wickets — level with Sher Malla and Abinash Bohara — while captaining the side to the playoffs.
His arc is without parallel in Nepali cricket: sold for INR 20 lakh at the 2018 IPL auction at eighteen, a CAN A+ central contract at Rs 120,000 a month, and the national bowling records in both white-ball formats. He sat at the Kings’ auction table on 6 July, when the franchise spent NPR 37.25 lakh on eight domestic players.
Season 3 is his third campaign in Kings colours, and the attack is built around his four overs. He bowls right-arm leg-break with a big-spinning stock ball and the googly as his main variation — flight to invite the drive, drift to beat the edge. The method is wicket-taking rather than containing, which is why one wicket in four games reads as a drought rather than a role change.
Where the Kings stand
The captain’s own season has been quiet — one wicket in four matches — while the Kings chase the top four: Biratnagar Kings are sixth after Match 21 — four points from five games, with a net run rate of −0.820. The full table is on the NPL Points Table, and every result is on the NPL Results page.
The captain’s drought is part of a wider bowling problem: Angelo Mathews leads the attack with 7 wickets, and no other Biratnagar bowler has more than Russell’s 6. Two wins from the last two games would take the Kings to 8 points and almost certainly into the playoffs — and a captain finding his wicket-taking touch in those two games would change the shape of the whole run-in.
What’s next
Two games stand between the Kings and the playoffs. The full fixture list is on the NPL Schedule, with the Nepal Premier League hub for everything else.
- Match 22 — Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers: Thursday 12 November 2026, 12:30 PM NST (11:45 AM PKT, 6:45 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.
Keep up with the run-in on SialTV — results and the points table, updated after every match day.
Frequently asked questions
How many wickets has Sandeep Lamichhane taken in NPL 2026?
One wicket in four matches, at an economy of 7.59 runs an over, with a best of 1 for 35 against Karnali Yaks. Last season he took 17 wickets, the joint-most in the league. Figures cover matches 1–21.
Is Sandeep Lamichhane the Biratnagar Kings captain?
Yes. Lamichhane captains Biratnagar Kings in NPL Season 3 and is also Nepal’s all-time leading white-ball wicket-taker. He led the Kings to the playoffs in 2025.
When is Biratnagar Kings’ next match?
Thursday 12 November 2026, against Pokhara Avengers in Match 22, at 12:30 PM NST at the TU Ground in Kirtipur. Their last league game is against Lumbini Lions on Saturday 14 November.