Sherfane Rutherford Signs for Sudurpaschim Royals as NPL 2026 Overseas List Grows

Sudurpaschim Royals have pulled off one of the signings of the season. Sherfane Rutherford, the West Indies left-hander who has made a career out of clearing boundaries in franchise cricket, will play for Sudurpaschim in the third edition of the Nepal Premier League.

The 28-year-old arrives with serious credentials. He has played 61 T20 internationals for the West Indies and scored more than 5,000 runs in T20 cricket at a strike rate above 140, with over 300 sixes along the way. He has turned up in just about every major league going: the IPL, PSL, CPL, BPL, ILT20 and Major League Cricket. He was part of title-winning squads in the CPL with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and in the PSL with Karachi Kings, and scored 291 runs for Gujarat Titans in the IPL earlier this year.

For Sudurpaschim, twice runners-up in the NPL, this feels like a statement. Rutherford slots into a middle order that already had plenty of experience, and his ability to go hard from ball one is exactly what you want at Kirtipur, where the outfield is quick and the boundaries are reachable. Royals CEO Prakash Khadka said the team was excited to add an experienced and aggressive player to the group.

Karnali Yaks have been even busier. On Friday they announced David Miller, the South African finisher with more than 12,000 T20 runs and a 2022 IPL title with Gujarat Titans, as their sixth overseas signing. He joins Pakistan T20 captain Sahibzada Farhan, who was the leading run-scorer at the 2026 T20 World Cup with 383 runs including two centuries, plus Pakistani all-rounder Hussain Talat, returning Scotland all-rounder Mark Watt, and Bangladeshi pair Akbar Ali and Ariful Islam. Karnali chairman Grihendra Ghimire said the signings answer supporter expectations, and that the focus is now on winning the title. After Shikhar Dhawan in season one, the Yaks clearly enjoy making a splash.

The confirmed overseas list for Season 3 now reads like a proper who is who. David Warner is with Kathmandu Gorkhas, Shakib Al Hasan leads Pokhara Avengers, who have also added Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammed Saifuddin, and Janakpur Bolts have Moeen Ali, James Neesham and Harmeet Singh. Chitwan Rhinos can call on Sikandar Raza, Ravi Bopara, Chamika Karunaratne and Kaleem Sana, while Sudurpaschim also have Scott Kuggeleijn, Brandon McMullen and Saif Ali Zaib alongside their new West Indian signing. Defending champions Lumbini Lions have signed Shadley van Schalkwyk, the United States all-rounder who took 13 wickets in four innings at the T20 World Cup, and Biratnagar Kings have added former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews to a squad that already includes Andre Russell and Charith Asalanka.

A word of caution on the rumour mill. Names like Heinrich Klaasen and Haider Ali have been doing the rounds on social media, but neither has been confirmed by any franchise. With the tournament starting October 26, expect a few more announcements before the first ball.

One rule worth knowing: after the league received ICC sanction, each franchise can register six to eight overseas players, but the playing XI must include at least seven Nepali players and no more than four from overseas. Every foreign player also needs a No Objection Certificate from their home board, so a signed name is not always a guaranteed starter.

Sudurpaschim open the tournament against Lumbini Lions on October 26 at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. If Rutherford gets going in that one, the season could not ask for a better start.