NPL 2026 Retained Players: Which Teams Kept Their Core
52 players kept, eight different strategies. Who kept their core together and who went for a rebuild before NPL 2026.
Last updated:
Before the auction drama and the overseas announcements, every NPL team had a simpler decision to make in June: who do we keep?
Between them, the eight franchises retained 52 players. The Kathmandu Post reported the total on 20 June and gave the team-by-team counts in its auction coverage in July.
Who kept how many
Five teams kept the maximum seven: Chitwan Rhinos, Karnali Yaks, Lumbini Lions, Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals. Biratnagar Kings and Kathmandu Gurkhas kept six each. Janakpur Bolts kept only five.
The teams that stuck together
Keeping seven is a vote of confidence. Lumbini kept Rohit Kumar Paudel and much of the side that won the 2025 title. Sudurpaschim kept Dipendra Singh Airee and the group that reached the final. Karnali held on to Sompal Kami and Pokhara kept Kushal Bhurtel.
There is real value in that. Bowlers know how their captain likes to set fields. Batters know who they run well with. In a short tournament where there is little time to settle, familiarity helps.
It does not guarantee anything, of course. A team that kept seven can still finish seventh.
Janakpur's rebuild
Janakpur are the interesting ones. The 2024 champions kept only five, released marquee Aasif Sheikh and kept Anil Kumar Sah and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi. Rajbanshi became the new marquee. It is a clear change of direction, and fair play to them for being bold.
June lists are not October squads
After retention came the auction, more domestic picks and the overseas signings. So if you see a graphic calling the June list "final squads", it is not. It is the core.
Our squads page has the full rosters for every team.
