Most Successful Teams in NPL History: Win-Loss Records of All 8 Teams
Two seasons, two different champions, and one team that has dominated the league stage without ever lifting the trophy. The Nepal Premier League’s team records make for a fascinating table: Sudurpaschim Royals have the best win-loss record in the league’s history, yet Janakpur Bolts and Lumbini Lions are the ones with titles. Here are the most successful teams in NPL history, ranked by wins, win percentage and finals reached.
All figures cover the two completed NPL seasons, 2024 and 2025, played at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Season 3, which began on 26 October 2026, is not included.
Most Successful Teams in NPL History: The All-Time Standings
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Win % | Best Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudurpaschim Royals | 18 | 14 | 4 | 77.78 | Runners-up 2024, 2025 |
| Janakpur Bolts | 17 | 8 | 9 | 47.05 | Champions 2024 |
| Lumbini Lions | 17 | 8 | 9 | 47.05 | Champions 2025 |
| Biratnagar Kings | 16 | 7 | 8 | 43.75 | Qualifier 2 (2025) |
| Karnali Yaks | 16 | 7 | 9 | 43.75 | Qualifier 2 (2024) |
| Kathmandu Gorkhas | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40.00 | Eliminator (2025) |
| Chitwan Rhinos | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40.00 | Eliminator (2024) |
| Pokhara Avengers | 14 | 4 | 9 | 28.57 | League stage |
The gap between Sudurpaschim Royals and the rest is extraordinary. The Royals have won 14 of their 18 matches, a win percentage of 77.78, while no other team has won even half of its matches. They topped the league stage in both seasons, winning six of seven matches each time, and reached both finals. Their problem has never been reaching the big match — it has been winning it.
Sudurpaschim Royals: The Best Team Never to Win the NPL
The Royals’ dominance is built on balance. Their batting order features three of the league’s all-time leading run-scorers — Binod Bhandari (499 runs), Saif Zaib (391) and Dipendra Singh Airee (389) — while their bowling attack is led by the NPL’s leading wicket-taker, Scott Kuggeleijn (27 wickets), and Abinash Bohara, who shared the 2025 wicket-taking lead with 17. No other franchise has matched that two-way strength across both seasons.
Yet finals have been cruel to them. In 2024 they posted 184 for 9 in the final, only for Lahiru Milantha’s 87 off 49 balls to carry Janakpur Bolts to a five-wicket win. In 2025 they collapsed to 85 all out in the final against Lumbini Lions, undone by Rohit Paudel’s hat-trick, and lost by six wickets. Until they win a final, their record will carry an asterisk — the best team in NPL history, still waiting for a title.
Janakpur Bolts and Lumbini Lions: One Title Each
Janakpur Bolts won the first NPL title in 2024, beating Sudurpaschim Royals by five wickets in the final at Kirtipur on 21 December 2024. Their season was defined by Lahiru Milantha, who finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 293 runs, and by Lalit Rajbanshi’s 17 wickets at an economy rate of just 5.32. But the Bolts could not defend their crown: they finished last in the 2025 season, a collapse that remains one of the league’s great mysteries.
Lumbini Lions went the other way. After a mid-table finish in 2024, they lost their first three matches of 2025 — then won six in a row to storm to the title, beating Sudurpaschim Royals by six wickets in the final on 13 December 2025. Their captain Rohit Paudel, the league’s all-time leading run-scorer with 555 runs, finally had a trophy to match his personal record, and Ruben Trumpelmann was named both Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Series.
The Chasing Pack: Biratnagar, Karnali, Kathmandu and Chitwan
Biratnagar Kings and Karnali Yaks sit in the middle of the table, each with seven wins from 16 matches. Biratnagar’s best result is reaching Qualifier 2 in 2025, while Karnali reached Qualifier 2 in 2024. Biratnagar also own the league’s highest team total — 220 for 6 against Pokhara Avengers in 2025 — which suggests a batting line-up capable of more than its record shows.
Kathmandu Gorkhas (known as the Gurkhas in 2024) and Chitwan Rhinos have each won six matches from 15, with Kathmandu reaching the Eliminator in 2025 and Chitwan reaching the Eliminator in 2024. Kathmandu’s 2025 season featured the league’s best bowling figures — Shahab Alam’s 6/25 against Pokhara Avengers — but the franchise has yet to reach a final.
Finals by the Numbers: Chasing Wins Titles
Both NPL finals have been won by the team batting second. Janakpur Bolts chased 185 against Sudurpaschim Royals in 2024, and Lumbini Lions chased 86 against the same opponents in 2025. The two finals also share a venue — every NPL match, including both finals, has been played at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur — and a losing finalist: Sudurpaschim Royals have lost both.
| Final | First Innings | Second Innings | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sudurpaschim Royals 184/9 | Janakpur Bolts 185/5 (19.2 overs) | 5 wickets |
| 2025 | Sudurpaschim Royals 85 (19.1 overs) | Lumbini Lions 86/4 (9 overs) | 6 wickets |
The contrast between the two finals is extraordinary. The 2024 final produced 369 runs and went to the penultimate over; the 2025 final produced 171 runs and was over inside nine overs of the chase. Together they show the full range of what the NPL can produce — and why no final can be predicted with confidence.
Season-by-Season: Who Topped the League Stage?
Sudurpaschim Royals topped the league stage in both seasons, winning six of their seven league matches each time. That consistency is what makes their finals record so painful: they have been the best team over the long league stage twice, and have fallen at the final hurdle twice. Their 14 wins from 18 matches overall include those league-stage tallies plus their playoff victories on the way to the finals.
Behind the Royals, the league stage has been far more open. Janakpur Bolts went from champions in 2024 to last place in 2025, while Lumbini Lions went from mid-table in 2024 to champions in 2025 after losing their first three matches. No team other than Sudurpaschim has finished in the top two in both seasons, which is why the NPL has produced two different champions in two years.
What Each Team Needs in Season 3
Sudurpaschim Royals need only one thing: a finals win. Their squad, their league-stage record and their depth are all proven. Janakpur Bolts need to rediscover the form that won them the first title after their last-place finish in 2025. Lumbini Lions need to prove their six-match winning streak was the start of a dynasty, not a purple patch.
For Biratnagar Kings and Karnali Yaks, the target is a first final appearance after two Qualifier 2 exits. Kathmandu Gorkhas and Chitwan Rhinos need to turn Eliminator appearances into deeper playoff runs. And Pokhara Avengers, the only team never to reach the playoffs, need to turn their individual brilliance — Gous’s century, Rossington’s record season — into the wins that have eluded them.
Pokhara Avengers: The League’s Great Underachievers
Pokhara Avengers have the worst record in NPL history: four wins from 14 matches, a win percentage of just 28.57, and the only franchise never to reach the playoffs. The paradox is that Pokhara have produced some of the league’s greatest individual performances — Andries Gous’s first-ever NPL century in 2024, Adam Rossington’s record 323-run season in 2025, and the only other 200-plus team total in league history (201 for 2 against Karnali Yaks). The talent has never been the problem; turning it into wins has.
Season 3 is a fresh start for all eight teams, and the standings will be reshuffled again by 21 November 2026. But the questions are already clear: can Sudurpaschim Royals finally win a final, can Janakpur Bolts recover from last place, and can Pokhara Avengers turn individual brilliance into team success? The NPL 2026 squads show every franchise reloading, and the NPL 2026 today match page follows every fixture as the table takes shape.
FAQs: Most Successful Teams in NPL
Which team has won the most matches in NPL history?
Sudurpaschim Royals, with 14 wins from 18 matches across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Which team has the best win percentage in the NPL?
Sudurpaschim Royals, with a win percentage of 77.78 (14 wins from 18 matches).
Which teams have won the NPL?
Janakpur Bolts in 2024 and Lumbini Lions in 2025 — one title each.
Which team has never reached the NPL playoffs?
Pokhara Avengers, who have finished in the league stage in both seasons so far.