Lumbini Lions vs Pokhara Avengers: NPL 2026 Match 13 Preview

Updated Mon, 2 Nov 2026

Defending champions Lumbini Lions play Pokhara Avengers in Match 13 of NPL 2026 on Tuesday, 3 November at 5:00 PM NPT (4:45 PM IST) at the TU Ground, Kirtipur. Live score and scorecard: match page.

Form guide

Lumbini: champions picking up where they left off

Lumbini won the 2025 final by bowling Sudurpaschim out for 85, and they started 2026 the same way: Sudurpaschim were all out for 87 in the opener. Kishor Mahato took 4 for 14 and Sher Malla 3 for 11, and Lumbini won with 61 balls to spare as D’Arcy Short hit 40 off 18. Since then, rain has meant they have not played a full match since 26 October. Captain Rohit Paudel, who took a hat-trick in the 2025 final, has barely been needed.

Pokhara: close, but no points

Pokhara lost to Janakpur by only nine runs and have competitive players in both departments. Captain Kushal Bhurtel leads their batting with 56 runs, Arjun Gharti has 47, and Shakib Al Hasan took 3 for 15 in Match 9. What has been missing is a big partnership: neither of their totals has passed 145.

The key contest

Pokhara’s top order against Lumbini’s spinners. Malla and Paudel bowled Sudurpaschim out cheaply on the same ground, and Pokhara lost seven wickets setting 145 against Sudurpaschim. If Bhurtel survives the powerplay, Pokhara can post a total; if not, Lumbini’s spinners showed in the opener how quickly they can close an innings down.

What is at stake

A third defeat would leave Pokhara needing to win almost all of their remaining four games. A Lumbini win would put the champions on five points and among the leaders. Every permutation is on the playoff scenarios page; the champions’ season outlook is in our Lumbini Lions preview.