The Study NT Top End T20 League 2026 runs in Darwin from 21 to 30 August, with nine teams playing 30 matches across five venues before the Grand Final.
New Zealand A make their tournament debut this year, Nepal returns for a second straight season, and 2025 champions Perth Scorchers Academy are missing from the field entirely.
This guide covers the fixture list, every squad in the draw, the venues in play and where fans worldwide can stream every match live.
Top End T20 League 2026 at a Glance
Here’s the tournament boiled down to the essentials, before the full breakdown below.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Study NT Top End T20 Series |
| Tournament Window | 20 to 30 August 2026 |
| Match Dates | 21 to 30 August 2026 |
| Host City | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Teams | 9 |
| Total Matches | 30 (27 league games, 2 semi-finals, 1 final) |
| Format | Single round-robin league, top 4 advance to knockouts |
| Grand Final | Sunday, 30 August, DXC Arena |
| Venues | TIO Stadium, DXC Arena 1, DXC Arena 2, Gardens Oval, Gerry Wood |
| 2025 Champion | Perth Scorchers Academy (not competing in 2026) |
| Organiser | Northern Territory Cricket |
| Naming Rights Partner | Study NT |
Full Fixture List: Top End T20 League 2026 Schedule
Each of the nine teams plays six league matches between 21 and 29 August. The top four then meet in the knockouts on 30 August.
| Day & Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (ACST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 21 Aug | Victoria vs Hobart Hurricanes | TIO Stadium | 10:00 AM |
| Fri, 21 Aug | ACT Comets vs HH Kingsmen | TIO Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| Fri, 21 Aug | NT Strike vs Nepal | DXC Arena 1 | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, 22 Aug | New Zealand A vs Adelaide Strikers | TIO Stadium | 10:00 AM |
| Sat, 22 Aug | Victoria vs HH Kingsmen | DXC Arena 1 | 2:00 PM |
| Sat, 22 Aug | Nepal vs Bangladesh HP | TIO Stadium | 8:00 PM |
| Sun, 23 Aug | New Zealand A vs ACT Comets | TIO Stadium | 10:00 AM |
| Sun, 23 Aug | NT Strike vs Adelaide Strikers | Gerry Wood | 1:00 PM |
| Sun, 23 Aug | Hobart Hurricanes vs Bangladesh HP | TIO Stadium | 5:00 PM |
| Mon, 24 Aug | NT Strike vs HH Kingsmen | DXC Arena 1 | 10:00 AM |
| Mon, 24 Aug | Victoria vs Bangladesh HP | DXC Arena 2 | 2:30 PM |
| Mon, 24 Aug | Nepal vs Hobart Hurricanes | DXC Arena 1 | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, 25 Aug | NT Strike vs ACT Comets | DXC Arena 2 | 10:00 AM |
| Tue, 25 Aug | New Zealand A vs HH Kingsmen | DXC Arena 2 | 2:30 PM |
| Tue, 25 Aug | Adelaide Strikers vs Bangladesh HP | DXC Arena 1 | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, 26 Aug | New Zealand A vs Victoria | DXC Arena 1 | 10:00 AM |
| Wed, 26 Aug | Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers | DXC Arena 2 | 2:30 PM |
| Wed, 26 Aug | Nepal vs ACT Comets | DXC Arena 1 | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, 27 Aug | NT Strike vs Victoria | DXC Arena 1 | 10:00 AM |
| Thu, 27 Aug | Nepal vs HH Kingsmen | Gardens Oval | 1:00 PM |
| Thu, 27 Aug | New Zealand A vs Bangladesh HP | DXC Arena 1 | 5:00 PM |
| Fri, 28 Aug | Hobart Hurricanes vs ACT Comets | DXC Arena 1 | 10:00 AM |
| Fri, 28 Aug | HH Kingsmen vs Adelaide Strikers | Gardens Oval | 1:00 PM |
| Fri, 28 Aug | NT Strike vs Bangladesh HP | DXC Arena 1 | 5:00 PM |
| Sat, 29 Aug | New Zealand A vs Hobart Hurricanes | DXC Arena 1 | 10:00 AM |
| Sat, 29 Aug | ACT Comets vs Adelaide Strikers | Gardens Oval | 1:00 PM |
| Sat, 29 Aug | Nepal vs Victoria | DXC Arena 1 | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, 30 Aug | Semi-Final 1 (2nd vs 3rd) | Gardens Oval | 10:00 AM |
| Sun, 30 Aug | Semi-Final 2 (1st vs 4th) | DXC Arena 1 | 10:30 AM |
| Sun, 30 Aug | Grand Final | DXC Arena 1 | 4:00 PM |
All times are Darwin local (ACST) and remain subject to change closer to the tournament.
Meet the 9 Teams Competing in 2026
This is developmental cricket at its most global: a Blackcaps A-side, an Australian state team, a national side and a franchise group busy building its own mini-empire, one Kingsmen team at a time.
- NT Strike: the hosts and the only team to win the title in Darwin, back in 2023. Local knowledge of the pitches and conditions makes them a permanent finals threat.
- Cricket Victoria: fielding a unified state side for the first time in the tournament’s history, after Victoria was previously represented by separate Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades academy sides.
- Hobart Hurricanes (Academy): a regular in the Big Bash pathway, the Hurricanes reached the semi-finals in the 2025 edition and return with a settled core group.
- HH Kingsmen: the newest entry, part of the Kingsmen Sports Enterprise stable owned by Fawad Sarwar’s FKS Group, which also runs Hyderabad Kingsmen in the Pakistan Super League and Jamaica Kingsmen in the Caribbean Premier League.
- ACT Comets: representing the Australian Capital Territory, a fixture since 2023 but yet to finish above sixth on the table.
- Adelaide Strikers (Academy): the competition’s most consistent side of recent years: champions in 2024 and runners-up in 2025.
- New Zealand A: making their first-ever Top End appearance, with a squad of 13 international players as part of the Blackcaps’ high-performance pathway.
- Bangladesh HP: back for a third straight year and a key part of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s player-development pipeline. They reached the final in 2024.
- Nepal: returning for a second year, led by captain Rohit Paudel and leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, and arriving with fresh momentum from their first T20 World Cup win since 2014.
Teams Not Returning in 2026
The field has changed shape since last year, and a few familiar names are notably absent this time around.
- Pakistan Shaheens: left out after three consecutive editions, despite reaching the semi-finals in 2025.
- Perth Scorchers Academy: the reigning 2025 champions do not feature in the 2026 draw.
- Cricket Australia XI, Melbourne Stars Academy and Melbourne Renegades Academy: all absent this year, with Victoria now represented as one combined state side.
- Chicago Kingsmen, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea: past participants who are not part of the 2026 field.
Venue Guide: Where Every Match Is Played
Darwin’s dry season brings clear skies and firm pitches, a welcome change of scenery for players more used to a grey winter back home. Five grounds share hosting duties this year.
- TIO Stadium (Marrara Stadium): the tournament’s marquee venue, with a capacity of roughly 12,215. It is also the ground that hosted Australia’s Test against Bangladesh from 13 to 17 August 2026, Darwin’s first Test match in 23 years.
- DXC Arena 1 (Marrara Cricket Ground): the home of NT Cricket, hosting the bulk of the tournament’s matches, including the Grand Final.
- DXC Arena 2: the adjoining second oval within the Marrara Sporting Complex, used mainly for daytime fixtures.
- Gardens Oval: hosts a mix of league matches plus one semi-final on Grand Final day.
- Gerry Wood: an additional venue used for one early-round fixture.
Where to Watch Top End T20 League 2026 (Global Broadcast Guide)
Fans can already follow the tournament across nine confirmed markets, with a few broadcast deals still to be finalised before the opening match.
| Country / Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| India | FanCode |
| Pakistan | TBA |
| USA | Willow TV |
| Canada | Willow TV |
| Nepal | DGO |
| Bangladesh | T Sports |
| Australia | 7Plus |
| New Zealand | TBA |
| Rest of World | TBA |
Marron Media is the tournament’s exclusive international media rights agency. The 2025 edition reached a global broadcast audience of 53.4 million viewers, including 35.3 million in Pakistan and 10.2 million in Bangladesh, alongside 8.8 million unique digital viewers.
Top End T20 League Winners: Past Champions
The tournament has had a different champion every year since it began in 2022, a streak the 2026 field will look to either continue or break.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Win Margin | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cricket Australia XI | Melbourne Stars Academy | Won by 30 runs | Gardens Oval |
| 2023 | NT Strike | Pakistan Shaheens | Won by 46 runs | Marrara Oval |
| 2024 | Adelaide Strikers Academy | Bangladesh HP XI | Won by 32 runs | Marrara Oval |
| 2025 | Perth Scorchers Academy | Adelaide Strikers Academy | Won by 15 runs | Marrara Oval |
Players to Watch This Season
- Rohit Paudel (Nepal, captain): one of the youngest T20I captains in world cricket, he led Nepal to their first T20 World Cup win since 2014, beating Scotland in February 2026.
- Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal): Nepal’s premier leg-spinner, with more than 129 T20I wickets and the team’s biggest wicket-taking threat on Darwin’s true, bounce-friendly pitches.
- Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal, vice-captain): rated among the best fielders in world cricket, and a genuine all-round option with bat and ball.
- The New Zealand A squad: 13 international players form part of the Blackcaps’ succession plan, giving the tournament’s newest side real depth from day one.
Why the 2026 Edition Matters
Darwin is in the middle of its biggest cricket month in over two decades, and the Top End T20 League sits right at the centre of it.
- Test cricket returned to Darwin for the first time in 23 years when Australia hosted Bangladesh at TIO Stadium from 13 to 17 August 2026, just days before the T20 tournament began.
- Study NT signed on as the tournament’s naming rights partner for the next two years, tying the event to the Northern Territory’s push to attract international students.
- Nepal accounts for 26.1% of NT’s international student population, followed by India at 19.7%, Bangladesh at 11.4%, Pakistan at 4.8% and Sri Lanka at 2.2%, which explains why those markets get broadcast priority.
Final Word: Top End T20 League 2026 runs from 21 to 30 August
The Study NT Top End T20 League 2026 runs from 21 to 30 August in Darwin, bringing nine teams and 30 matches to five venues before the Grand Final on 30 August.
With New Zealand A debuting, Nepal chasing another strong run and Darwin fresh off hosting its first Test in 23 years, this edition carries more weight than any before it.
Catch every match on FanCode in India, 7Plus in Australia, or T Sports in Bangladesh, with more broadcast deals due before the opening game.
