T20-LEAGUE

Janakpur Bolts Squad and Schedule NPL 2026: Full List

Published on October 23, 2026

Summary Overview: Janakpur Bolts' full 17-man squad for the Nepal Premier League 2026, captained by Anil Sah with overseas stars Moeen Ali, James Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed and Harmeet Singh. All seven league fixtures in Nepal Time, UTC, IST and ET.

Who are Janakpur Bolts? One of the eight franchises in the Nepal Premier League (NPL), and the league's first champions, having won the opening season in 2024.

Who is the captain? Wicketkeeper-batter Anil Sah, one of the five players the Bolts retained.

Who are the overseas players? England's Moeen Ali, New Zealand's James Neesham, Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed and USA spinner Harmeet Singh. All four are all-rounders.

When is their first match? Tuesday, October 27 against Karnali Yaks at 5:00 PM Nepal Time (11:15 UTC, 4:45 PM IST, 7:15 AM ET).

The Story: The First Champions Go All-In on All-Rounders

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. Janakpur Bolts won the first title in 2024, and Lumbini Lions are the defending champions.

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.

The Bolts have built a squad full of players who can do two jobs. Eight of their 17 players are all-rounders, including all four overseas signings. Only three are listed as specialist bowlers.

The Talking Points

Anil Sah Leads From Behind the Stumps

Anil Sah was retained and named captain. As the wicketkeeper, he is in the game on every ball, which helps a captain read the conditions and set fields.

Four Overseas All-Rounders

Moeen Ali bats in the top order and bowls off-spin. James Neesham is a big-hitting finisher who bowls seam. Iftikhar Ahmed hits hard in the middle order and bowls off-spin, and Harmeet Singh is a left-arm spinner who can bat. It gives the Bolts huge flexibility in picking their XI.

Trit Raj Das, the Top Buy

All-rounder Trit Raj Das was the Bolts' most expensive buy at the auction, at Rs. 15 lakh. Bishal Patel, Abhishek Tiwari and Amar Singh Rautela cost Rs. 5 lakh each.

Lalit Rajbanshi Leads the Spin

Retained left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi is the key Nepali bowler, and he will have plenty of spin support from Moeen, Iftikhar and Harmeet.

The Full Janakpur Bolts Squad

Role	Players
Captain	Anil Sah
Batters	Anil Sah (c, wk), Bikash Aagri, Aaditya Mahata, Bishal Patel, Rit Gautam, Santosh Karki
All-rounders	Moeen Ali, James Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed, Harmeet Singh, Mayan Yadav, Trit Raj Das, Abhishek Tiwari, Amar Singh Rautela
Bowlers	Lalit Rajbanshi, Ashutosh Pandey, Bishal Shusling

17 players. Overseas: Moeen Ali (England), James Neesham (New Zealand), Iftikhar Ahmed (Pakistan), Harmeet Singh (USA).

How They Were Signed

Player	How signed	Price
Anil Sah	Retained
Bikash Aagri	Retained
Aaditya Mahata	Retained
Mayan Yadav	Retained
Lalit Rajbanshi	Retained
Moeen Ali	Overseas signing
James Neesham	Overseas signing
Iftikhar Ahmed	Overseas signing
Harmeet Singh	Overseas signing
Trit Raj Das	Auction	Rs. 15 lakh
Bishal Patel	Auction	Rs. 5 lakh
Abhishek Tiwari	Auction	Rs. 5 lakh
Amar Singh Rautela	Auction	Rs. 5 lakh
Rit Gautam	Auction	Rs. 4.25 lakh
Santosh Karki	Auction	Rs. 3 lakh
Ashutosh Pandey	Auction	Rs. 2 lakh
Bishal Shusling	Auction	Rs. 2 lakh

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

📄 Download the Janakpur Bolts squad and schedule as a PDF to save or share.

Players to Watch

Anil Sah (c, wk): The retained captain and wicketkeeper-batter.

Moeen Ali: A former England all-rounder who can open the batting and bowl off-spin.

James Neesham: A powerful finisher with the bat and a useful seam bowler.

Iftikhar Ahmed: A big middle-order hitter who also bowls off-spin.

Lalit Rajbanshi: Nepal's left-arm spinner and the Bolts' main home-grown bowler.

Trit Raj Das: The Bolts' most expensive auction buy at Rs. 15 lakh.

Janakpur Bolts Fixtures (Nepal Time, UTC, IST and ET)

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

#	Date	Opponent	Nepal (NPT)	UTC	IST	ET
3	Tue, Oct 27	vs Karnali Yaks	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	7:15 AM
5	Thu, Oct 29	vs Kathmandu Gurkhas	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	2:45 AM
9	Sun, Nov 1	vs Pokhara Avengers	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
12	Tue, Nov 3	vs Biratnagar Kings	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	1:45 AM
14	Thu, Nov 5	vs Lumbini Lions	12:30 PM	06:45	12:15 PM	1:45 AM
21	Tue, Nov 10	vs Sudurpaschim Royals	5:00 PM	11:15	4:45 PM	6:15 AM
25	Fri, Nov 13	vs Chitwan Rhinos	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 Bolts play five games in 10 days, from October 27 to November 5, including the defending champions Lumbini Lions on November 5. They then finish against Sudurpaschim Royals and Chitwan Rhinos, and their league stage is over by November 13, two days before the last league games.

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	17
All-rounders	8
Overseas players	4 (all all-rounders)
Retained players	5
Most expensive auction buy	Trit Raj Das, Rs. 15 lakh
League matches	7
NPL titles	1 (2024)