Chitwan Rhinos retain Kushal Malla, six others for Nepal Premier League 2026

KATHMANDU: Chitwan Rhinos have retained seven players, including marquee player Kushal Malla, for the upcoming Nepal Premier League season.

The franchise announced on Friday that Skipper Kushal Malla, Dev Khanal, Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Arjun Saud, Dipak Bohara and Ranjeet Kumar will continue with the team.

Meanwhile, Chitwan have released five players from their squad. Amar Singh Routela, Gautam KC, Bipin Rawal, Bipin Acharya and Saugat Dhakal have been let go ahead of the new season.

Chitwan said the retained group will form the core of their team-building process for the upcoming campaign.

The franchise said the group brings a mix of national-team experience, domestic cricket performance and young talent.

"These players made an important contribution to the team's performance and development last season," Chitwan said in a statement.

Chitwan had featured several overseas players in the previous season, including England's Ravi Bopara, Dawid Malan, Saif Zaib and George Scrimshaw, Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir and Uganda's Alpesh Ramjani.

Chitwan finished fourth in the first season of the NPL. In the following season, they managed only two wins from seven matches.