The 2023 Nepal Super League was the second season of the Nepal Super League, the top flight franchise based club football league of Nepal.[1] A total of nine franchises participated in the tournament played at the Dasharath Rangasala from 24 November to 30 December 2023. Kathmandu Rayzrs won the inaugural season after beating Dhangadhi FC in the final on 15 May 2021.[2][3] In addition to the seven founding members, three new franchises were added. Jhapa FC represented Jhapa, Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC Ilam, and Birgunj United FC Birgunj. One of the founding members, Biratnagar City, decided to withdraw from the tournament resulting in only nine teams participating in this edition.[4]
| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 November – 30 December |
| Champions | Lalitpur City FC |
| Matches played | 40 |
| Goals scored | 80 (2 per match) |
| Best Player |  Ananta Tamang |
| Top goalscorer |  Imoh Ezekiel (6 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper |  Jeffery Baltus |
| Biggest win | Birgunj 4–1 Kathmandu (21 December) |
| Highest scoring | Birgunj 4–1 Kathmandu |
| Longest winning run | Lalitpur City FC (3 wins) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 3 teams (6 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC (5 matches) |
| Longest losing run | 5 teams (2 matches) |
| Highest attendance | 15,000+ |
| Lowest attendance | 300 |
| Average attendance | 3,650 |
← 2021 2024 → All statistics correct as of 30 December 2023. | |
Teams
Locations of the NSL clubs
Personnel and sponsorship
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Marquee Player | Iconic Player | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Rayzrs FC | Bal Gopal Maharjan | Hishub Thapaliya | Hishub Thapaliya | Li-Ning | Yamaha RayZR 125FI Hybrid | |
| Lalitpur City FC |  Ian Andrew Gillian | Ananta Tamang | Ananta Tamang | T10 Sports | Prabhu Bank | |
| FC Chitwan |  Mehrajuddin Wadoo | Bishal Shrestha | Bishal Shrestha | Bimal Gharti Magar | SIX5SIX | IME |
| Pokhara Thunders | Nabin Neaupane | Dinesh Rajbanshi | Ayush Ghalan | Dinesh Rajbanshi | Kelme | Shikhar Insurance |
| Butwal Lumbini F.C. | Bijay Maharjan | Arik Bista | Arik Bista | Aashish Lama | MODE23 | CURRENT |
| Dhangadhi FC | Yugal Kishor Rai | Devendra Tamang | Ashish Chaudhary | T10 Sports | Higer | |
| Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC | Meghraj KC | Bikesh Kuthu | Bikesh Kuthu | SIX5SIX | Premier Intl. School | |
| Jhapa FC |  Oriol Mohedano | Anjan Bista | Anjan Bista | Awas Lamichhane | Nivia Sports | Sahara Nepal |
| Birgunj United FC | Sanoj Shrestha | Deep Karki | Deep Karki | Tej Tamang | Li-Ning | WINgel |
Foreign players
One team can recruit six overseas players and field five at a time.[5]
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Rayzrs FC |  Olivier Kingue |  Komilzhon Tozhidinov | Andrés Nia | Shokhrukh Makhmudkhozhiev | Junior Nkengue | |
| Lalitpur City FC | Kareem Omolaja | Papa Ibou Kébé |  Jeffrey Baltus | Imoh Ezekiel |  Nurlan Novruzov | Nikhil Kadam[6] |
| FC Chitwan |  Rafiq Aminu | Torric Jebrin |  Marko Ivanovic | Afriyie Acquah | Yussif Mubarik | |
| Pokhara Thunders | Yves Priso | Franklin Kuete | Joe Aidoo | Moses Gyabaah | Stephan Kojo | |
| Butwal Lumbini F.C. |  Koussi Christian | Stéphane Binong | Nicolas Serge Song | Andre Thierry Biyik Biyik | Ernest Tampi | |
| Dhangadhi FC | Olawale Afeez |  Fallou Diagne |  Fode Fofana |  Mohamad Taha | Richard Osei Agyemang | Ahmad Hijazi |
| Jhapa FC |  Stefan Čupić | Samandar Ochilov |  Dhiraj Thajali | Nando Cózar | Jorge Canillas | |
| Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC | Ibrahima Djite | Abdoulaye Ba | Fodé Camara | Badou Ndiaye | Amath Ndaw | |
| Birgunj United FC | William Opoku | Obed Yeboah | Hans Kwofie | Aikins Kyei Baffour |  Tshamala Djadje |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokhara Thunders | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 15 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Dhangadhi F.C. | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 13 | |
| 3 | Kathmandu Rayzrs F.C. | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 12 | |
| 4 | Lalitpur City F.C. | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 | |
| 5 | Jhapa FC | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | |
| 6 | Butwal Lumbini F.C. | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 10 | |
| 7 | F.C. Chitwan | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 9 | |
| 8 | Birgunj United FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 8 | |
| 9 | Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 8 |
Updated to match(es) played on 23 December 2023. Source: Hamrokhelkud
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head goal difference; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) play-off match
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head goal difference; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) play-off match
Results by games
Head-to-head scores
Playoffs
Bracket
| Preliminary | Preliminary | Final | |||||||||||
| Dhangadhi FC | 2 (4) | Q1W | Dhangadhi FC | 2 | |||||||||
| Pokhara Thunders | 2 (3) | Q2W | Lalitpur City FC | 3 | |||||||||
| Q1L | Pokhara Thunders | 1 | |||||||||||
| EW | Lalitpur City FC | 2 | |||||||||||
| Lalitpur City FC | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Kathmandu Rayzrs FC | 0 | ||||||||||||
Preliminary
| 25 December 2023 Qualifier 1 | Dhangadhi FC | 2 (4) – 2 (3) (a.e.t.) | Pokhara Thunders | Kathmandu |
| 17:30 NST |
|
| Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala Referee: Surojit Das Man of the Match: Mohamad Taha (Dhangadhi FC) |
| 26 December 2023 Eliminator | Lalitpur City FC | 3 – 0 | Kathmandu Rayzrs FC | Kathmandu |
| 17:30 NST |
| Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala Referee: Ram Dasan Man of the Match: Imoh Ezekiel (Lalitpur City FC) |
| 28 December 2023 Qualifier 2 | Pokhara Thunders | 1 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Lalitpur City FC | Kathmandu |
| 17:30 NST |
|
| Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala Referee: Nabindra Maharjan Man of the Match: Ananta Tamang (Lalitpur City FC) |
Final
| 30 December 2023 Final | Dhangadhi FC | 2 – 3 | Lalitpur City FC | Kathmandu |
| 17:30 NST |
|
| Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala Attendance: 15000 Referee: Ram Dasan Man of the Match: Aditya Shakya (Lalitpur City FC) |
Season statistics
Scorers
There have been 80 goals scored in 40 matches, for an average of 2 goals per match (as of 30 December 2023).
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Opoku | Birgunj United FC | Kathmandu Rayzrs FC | 4-1 | 21 December 2023 |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stefan Čupić | Jhapa FC | 5 |
| Jeffrey Baltus | Lalitpur City FC | ||
| 2 | Yves Priso Nganja | Pokhara Thunders | 4 |
| 3 | Mohamad Taha | Dhangadhi FC | 2 |
| Bishal Shrestha | FC Chitwan | ||
| Abishek Baral | Kathmandu Rayzrs FC | ||
| Bikesh Kuthu | Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC | ||
| 4 | Deep Karki | Birgunj United FC | 1 |
| Tikendra Thapa | Dhangadhi FC | ||
| Samit Shrestha | Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC | ||
| Moussi Mohamodou | Butwal Lumbini FC | ||
| Anjal Shrestha | Kathmandu Rayzrs FC |
References
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