Season 3 in numbers
No matches, no runs, no wickets. Bhandari has not played in NPL Season 3 so far — and in a spin department led by Sandeep Lamichhane, with Aprajit Poudel getting the support-spinner games, the international off-spinner has been left out entirely.
His league record is not thin: 7 wickets in 7 matches at 31.00 with an economy of 7.33 in 2023, including a best of 3 for 28 against Chitwan Rhinos; 2 wickets in 6 matches at 33.00 with an economy of 6.33 in 2024, including a best of 1 for 11 against Pokhara Avengers. In 2025 he played 2 matches without a wicket.
The pattern is a containing spinner rather than a strike bowler: an economy of 5.67 in 2023, and a role that holds one end while the wrist-spinner attacks from the other. In a season when the Kings’ attack has leaked runs, that containing role is exactly what the side has been missing.
Match by match
Subash Bhandari has not appeared in any of Biratnagar Kings’ five matches so far.
The spin department has been Sandeep Lamichhane’s four overs, plus Basir Ahamad’s left-arm spin and Aprajit Poudel’s two games. Bhandari’s off-break — the one spin type the attack does not have — has not been used at all.
The last two league games are the only realistic window. If the Kings win on Thursday and qualify before Saturday, the final game against Lumbini Lions could be a dead rubber — the one match in which the captain might finally give the international off-spinner a game.
The international spinner waiting
Bhandari is a right-arm offbreak bowler from Baglung, retained by Biratnagar Kings on 16 June 2026. A Nepal international, he made his ODI debut in March 2023 against Papua New Guinea and his T20I debut against the same opposition, and has 9 ODI caps and 7 T20I caps.
His international numbers are solid for a containing spinner: 4 ODI wickets at 28.75 and 3 T20I wickets at 39.00. He is not a strike bowler at international level either — he is a bowler who holds an end, builds pressure, and lets the other end take the wickets.
That is the role the Kings have been missing. Sandeep Lamichhane has taken 1 wicket in four matches, and the attack’s economy has been the problem as much as its wicket-taking. An international off-spinner who bowls at 5.67 an over is the kind of player who fixes exactly that problem.
Where the Kings stand
Bhandari is the unused international in a side chasing two wins: Biratnagar Kings are sixth after Match 21 — four points from five games, with a net run rate of −0.820. The full table is on the NPL Points Table, and every result is on the NPL Results page.
Two wins from the last two games would take the Kings to 8 points and almost certainly into the playoffs — and an international off-spinner who has never played a game this season is the one selection the captain has not tried yet. Saturday against Lumbini Lions, the defending champions, is the game in which that selection would matter most.
What’s next
The season comes down to two league games, then the playoffs. Every fixture is on the NPL Schedule, and the Nepal Premier League hub carries the full picture.
- Match 22 — Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers: Thursday 12 November 2026, 12:30 PM NST (11:45 AM PKT, 6:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
- Match 26 — Biratnagar Kings vs Lumbini Lions: Saturday 14 November 2026, 4:30 PM NST (3:45 PM PKT, 10:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
- Playoffs: Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 17 November, the Eliminator on Wednesday 18 November, Qualifier 2 on Thursday 19 November, and the final on Saturday 21 November — every playoff starts at 4:30 PM NST.
Every result, and the updated points table after each match day, is on SialTV as the run-in unfolds.
Frequently asked questions
Has Subash Bhandari played in NPL 2026?
No. He has not appeared in any of Biratnagar Kings’ five matches so far, despite being a Nepal international off-spinner retained on 16 June 2026. Figures cover matches 1–21.
Is Subash Bhandari a Nepal international?
Yes. He made his ODI debut in March 2023 against Papua New Guinea and has 9 ODI caps and 7 T20I caps, with 4 ODI wickets at 28.75.
When is Biratnagar Kings’ next match?
Thursday 12 November 2026, against Pokhara Avengers in Match 22, at 12:30 PM NST at the TU Ground in Kirtipur. Their last league game is against Lumbini Lions on Saturday 14 November.