NPL team history: Sudurpaschim’s final heartbreaks, Lumbini’s rise and Janakpur’s reversal
NPL history · The completed 2024 and 2025 seasons · Checked 27 October 2026
Two seasons have given the Nepal Premier League contrasting team stories: a dominant league-stage side still waiting for a title, a last-placed team that became champion, and an inaugural winner that fell to the bottom. Before the 2026 campaign adds another chapter, here are the patterns that defined the first two editions.
Sudurpaschim Royals: 12 league wins, two final defeats
Across the league stages of 2024 and 2025, Sudurpaschim Royals won 12 of 14 matches and lost only twice. They finished first with a 6–1 record in each season: an 85.7% league-stage win rate across those two campaigns. These figures exclude playoffs and all 2026 matches.
The exceptions were Chitwan Rhinos, who beat them by 33 runs in December 2024, and Biratnagar Kings, who won by six wickets in December 2025. Sudurpaschim then beat Biratnagar by 77 runs in Qualifier 1 of 2025, reaching a second consecutive final.
Neither final produced a title. Janakpur Bolts won the 2024 final by five wickets. Lumbini Lions won the 2025 final by six wickets, dismissing the Royals for 85 and reaching 86/4 in nine overs. For Sudurpaschim, the gap between league dominance and the final result became the defining story of the first two seasons.
Lumbini Lions: from last place to champions
Lumbini Lions finished eighth in 2024 with one league win. In 2025 they qualified from fourth, then won three knockout matches to lift the trophy.
They beat Kathmandu Gorkhas by four wickets in the Eliminator, Biratnagar Kings by 40 runs in Qualifier 2, and Sudurpaschim in the final. A team that had finished bottom a year earlier became champion through the longer playoff route.
Janakpur Bolts: inaugural champions, then eighth
Janakpur Bolts gave the first season its winning finish. After progressing through Qualifier 2 against Karnali, they chased down Sudurpaschim in the final, with Lahiru Milantha’s 87 central to the victory.
A year later, Janakpur finished eighth with one league win. Alongside Lumbini’s rise, that reversal shows how quickly fortunes changed between the first two editions.
Biratnagar and Kathmandu: improvement without a final
Biratnagar Kings moved from sixth in the 2024 league table to second in 2025. Their league win over Sudurpaschim secured a top-two finish, but losses to the Royals and Lumbini ended their playoff campaign.
Kathmandu Gorkhas went from fifth in 2024 to third in 2025. That brought a first playoff appearance, ended by eventual champions Lumbini in the Eliminator.
Karnali, Chitwan and Pokhara: different routes to the same challenge
Karnali Yaks reached Qualifier 2 in 2024, where Janakpur beat them by two wickets. Chitwan Rhinos also reached the inaugural playoffs and supplied Sudurpaschim’s only league defeat that year. Neither franchise qualified in 2025.
Pokhara Avengers missed the playoffs in both editions. Their league position improved from seventh to fifth, leaving a first top-four finish as an unresolved target after the opening two seasons.
The league-stage picture at a glance
These are league positions and league win–loss records, not final tournament rankings. Playoff wins and defeats are excluded.
NPL league-stage records, 2024–2025
Team | 2024 position · W–L | 2025 position · W–L |
|---|---|---|
1 · 6–1 | 1 · 6–1 | |
6 · 2–5 | 2 · 5–2 | |
5 · 4–3 | 3 · 5–2 | |
8 · 1–6 | 4 · 4–3 | |
7 · 2–5 | 5 · 3–4 | |
4 · 4–3 | 6 · 2–5 | |
3 · 4–3 | 7 · 2–5 | |
2 · 5–2 | 8 · 1–6 |
The 2024 , 2025 records are cross-checked against Nepal Cric’s season archive. Read the 2024 archive and 2025 archive for season pages.
Scope: This retrospective ends with the 2025 final. References to two league defeats, two finals or playoff appearances describe the first two completed seasons, not the ongoing 2026 season.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with the assistance of AI based on data available in our database. While we strive for accuracy, errors or discrepancies may occur. If you identify any inaccuracies or have concerns regarding the information presented, please contact us so we can review and address them.