Janakpur Bolts vs Kathmandu Gurkhas Preview: NPL 2026 Match 5
The 2024 champions take on a Kathmandu side that has a lot of new attention on it. Match 5, Thursday 29 October, 12:30pm in Kirtipur.
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This is one of those early-season games that could tell us quite a bit about both teams.
Janakpur Bolts meet Kathmandu Gurkhas in Match 5 on Thursday 29 October. It is the early game of a double-header, so the first ball is at 12:30pm Nepal time at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Janakpur are rebuilding
Janakpur won the very first NPL in 2024, but they have made some brave calls since. They retained only five players before the auction, the fewest of any team, and let their marquee player Aasif Sheikh go. He ended up at Lumbini. Spinner Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi is now the man they have built around. Harmeet Singh is listed as captain on our team page.
A lunchtime start in Kirtipur can suit spin, so Rajbanshi might be the player to watch here. That is a hunch, not a pitch report, but it is how I would think about it as a Janakpur fan.
Kathmandu have the spotlight
Kathmandu have had the loudest build-up of any franchise thanks to the David Warner signing. Whether he plays this particular match is something only the team sheet will tell us, and the overseas limit of four in the XI means the selectors have choices to make. Karan KC leads the side.
What I want to see from Kathmandu is whether the local core steps up. One famous name does not win you a T20 tournament on its own.
Before you go
Check the latest team news on the day and the time on our match centre. If you are watching from home, our where to watch guide covers the legal options. You can also compare the two squads on the Janakpur and Kathmandu team pages.
