T20-LEAGUE

Lamichhane's Kings: Biratnagar Bring In Andre Russell and Charith Asalanka for NPL Season 3

Published on October 23, 2026

Summary Overview: Biratnagar Kings' full 16-man squad for the Nepal Premier League 2026, captained by Sandeep Lamichhane with overseas stars Andre Russell and Charith Asalanka. All seven league fixtures in Nepal Time, UTC, IST and ET.

Who are Biratnagar Kings? One of the eight franchises in the Nepal Premier League (NPL), Nepal's franchise T20 competition.

Who is the captain? Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal's biggest cricket star and the team's marquee player.

Who are the overseas players? West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka and USA all-rounder Shubham Ranjane.

When is their first match? Tuesday, October 27 against Chitwan Rhinos at 12:30 PM Nepal Time (06:45 UTC, 12:15 PM IST, 2:45 AM ET).

The Story: An All-Rounder Army Built Around Lamichhane

The Nepal Premier League returns for its third season from October 26 to November 21, with every game at the TU International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur. Lumbini Lions are the defending champions, and Janakpur Bolts won the first title in 2024.

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries), so a game lasts about three and a half hours. In the NPL, the eight teams play each other once, and the top four reach the playoffs.

Biratnagar Kings have built their squad around flexibility. Ten of their 16 players are all-rounders, which gives Lamichhane plenty of bowling options and a long batting line-up.

The Talking Points

Lamichhane Leads From the Front

Sandeep Lamichhane was retained as the Kings' marquee player and named captain. His leg-spin is the centrepiece of the attack, and he showed his value for Nepal this month, bowling 10 overs for just 37 runs in the must-win League Two match against Oman.

Russell and Asalanka: Big Overseas Names

Andre Russell is one of the most destructive hitters in T20 history and bowls fast at the death. Charith Asalanka is a former Sri Lanka white-ball captain who can bat anywhere in the middle order and bowl off-spin. USA's Shubham Ranjane completes the overseas trio.

Rupesh Kumar Singh, the Top Buy

All-rounder Rupesh Kumar Singh was the Kings' most expensive buy at the auction, at Rs. 15 lakh. Batters Dilsad Ali and Naren Saud cost Rs. 5 lakh each.

A Strong Retained Core

The Kings kept six players: Lamichhane, wicketkeeper Lokesh Bam, all-rounders Basir Ahamad, Narayan Joshi and Pratish GC, and seamer Subash Bhandari.

The Full Biratnagar Kings Squad

Role	Players
Captain	Sandeep Lamichhane
Batters	Lokesh Bam (wk), Dilsad Ali, Sujan Thapaliya
All-rounders	Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Shubham Ranjane, Basir Ahamad, Narayan Joshi, Pratish GC, Rupesh Kumar Singh, Naren Saud, Pratik Shrestha, Imran Sheikh
Bowlers	Sandeep Lamichhane (c), Subash Bhandari, Aprajit Poudel

16 players. Overseas: Andre Russell (West Indies), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), Shubham Ranjane (USA).

How They Were Signed

Player	How signed	Price
Sandeep Lamichhane	Retained (marquee)
Lokesh Bam	Retained
Basir Ahamad	Retained
Narayan Joshi	Retained
Pratish GC	Retained
Subash Bhandari	Retained
Rupesh Kumar Singh	Auction	Rs. 15 lakh
Dilsad Ali	Auction	Rs. 5 lakh
Naren Saud	Auction	Rs. 5 lakh
Sujan Thapaliya	Auction	Rs. 4.25 lakh
Pratik Shrestha	Auction	Rs. 2 lakh
Imran Sheikh	Auction	Rs. 2 lakh
Aprajit Poudel	Auction	Rs. 2 lakh
Andre Russell	Overseas signing
Charith Asalanka	Overseas signing
Shubham Ranjane	Overseas signing

Prices are in Nepali rupees, as listed by the Nepal Premier League.

📄 Download the Biratnagar Kings squad and schedule as a PDF to save or share.

Players to Watch

Sandeep Lamichhane (c): Nepal's star leg-spinner and the Kings' captain and marquee player.

Andre Russell: Huge hitting and fast bowling, a match-winner in any T20 league.

Charith Asalanka: A classy left-handed batter who also bowls handy off-spin.

Rupesh Kumar Singh: The Kings' most expensive auction buy at Rs. 15 lakh.

Basir Ahamad: A retained all-rounder who hit 17 off 7 balls for Nepal against Oman this month.

Lokesh Bam (wk): The retained wicketkeeper-batter.

Biratnagar Kings Fixtures (Nepal Time, UTC, IST and ET)

All matches are at the TU International Cricket Stadium, Kirtipur.

#	Date	Opponent	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	ET
2	Tue, Oct 27	vs Chitwan Rhinos	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	2:45 AM
6	Thu, Oct 29	vs Karnali Yaks	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	7:15 AM
8	Sat, Oct 31	vs Sudurpaschim Royals	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	7:15 AM
12	Tue, Nov 3	vs Janakpur Bolts	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	1:45 AM
15	Thu, Nov 5	vs Kathmandu Gurkhas	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
22	Thu, Nov 12	vs Pokhara Avengers	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	1:45 AM
26	Sat, Nov 14	vs Lumbini Lions	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM

NPT is Nepal Time (UTC+5:45). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). ET is US Eastern Time: Daylight Time (UTC-4) until November 1, then Standard Time (UTC-5). In Pakistan, 12:30 PM games start at 11:45 AM and 5:00 PM games at 4:15 PM. Every match starts on the same calendar date in all zones.

The fixture pattern: the Kings play five of their seven games in the first 10 days, from October 27 to November 5. Then comes a six-day break before they finish against Pokhara Avengers and defending champions Lumbini Lions.

Playoffs (If They Qualify)

Stage	Date	Fixture	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	ET
Qualifier 1	Tue, Nov 17	1st vs 2nd	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
Eliminator	Wed, Nov 18	3rd vs 4th	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
Qualifier 2	Thu, Nov 19	Loser Q1 vs Winner Eliminator	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
Final	Sat, Nov 21	Winner Q1 vs Winner Q2	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM

Stat Corner

Stat	Figure
Squad size	16
All-rounders	10
Overseas players	3
Retained players	6
Most expensive auction buy	Rupesh Kumar Singh, Rs. 15 lakh
League matches	7
Games in the first 10 days	5