Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024: The Next Step in the Evolution of Nepali Cricket
Nepal has had significant success in the world of cricket. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced a new national cricket league called the Nepal Premier League (NPL). It will be the first franchise Twenty-Twenty (20-20) cricket league in Nepal. Popular players worldwide are interested in playing in the Nepal Premier League (NPL).
This tournament is going to start on November 30, 2024, and the final will be played on December 21, 2024. Since this is the first franchise tournament going to be held in Nepal, the duration of the tournament will be less than a month.
Popular players from some of the best cricket-playing teams have expressed their interest in the Nepal Premier League (NPL). Cricketers like Suresh Raina, David Warner, Dinesh Karthik, and other players from popular cricket-playing nations have piqued their interest in the Nepal Premier League (NPL).
With this blog, we are going to update you about the teams and players of the franchises
Teams
The 2024-25 season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) is shaping up with eight franchise teams representing various regions, each aiming to showcase talent from across Nepal. Here’s a summary of these teams, including their provincial representations:
Pokhara Avengers
Backed by Nepal T20 Pvt. Ltd., Pokhara is the league’s most valuable team, with significant financial investment and an ambition to field a competitive squad in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL).
Kathmandu Gurkhas
Representing the capital in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL), Kathmandu’s franchise is owned by Kantipur Publications. Known for its rich cricket history, Kathmandu is expected to feature a mix of seasoned players and promising young talent.
Janakpur Bolts
Represented by Dreams Sports, Janakpur is known for its local cricketing enthusiasm. The team is expected to reflect the city's spirit and dedication in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL).
Lumbini Lions
Fortuna Health Care backs Lumbini’s team in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL), bringing a calm, strategic approach, potentially inspired by the area’s heritage as the birthplace of Buddha.
Chitwan Rhinos
Chitwan Medical College sponsors this franchise in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL), focusing on nurturing homegrown talent while prioritizing player fitness and preparation.
Sudurpashchim Royals
Empire Sports brings Sudurpashchim into the NPL, aiming to blend local enthusiasm with a tactical gameplay approach to make a mark in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL).
Biratnagar Kings
M.A.D Dreams Sports represents Biratnagar in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL), focusing on effective management and local support to create a solid competitive squad.
Karnali Yaks
Despite having the league’s smallest budget, Karnali's franchise, led by Himalayan Builders, will highlight raw talent, embracing resilience and innovation in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL).
This diverse lineup makes the upcoming NPL season promising, with teams from each major region of Nepal competing from November 30 to December 21, 2024
Captains and Teams
In the first draft, some of the exceptional and famous players from Nepal were drafted by each of the total 8 teams. Yes, you heard it right, in the inaugural year of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) there are going to be 8 different teams from different parts of Nepal. Each of the teams has signed one captain or marquee player from Nepal.
Eight Marquee players were listed from the draw on 14 September 2024
Team | Marquee player |
Biratnagar Kings | Sandeep Lamichhane |
Chitwan Rhinos | Kushal Malla |
Janakpur Bolts | Aasif Sheikh |
Karnali Yaks | Sompal Kami |
Kathmandu Gurkhas | Karan KC |
Lumbini Lions | Rohit Paudel |
Pokhara Avengers | Kushal Bhurtel |
Sudurpaschim Royals | Dipendra Singh Airee |
The auction for team ownership was held on 5 September 2024. Below is the list of teams, team owners, and the team’s worth.
Team | Province/City | Owner | Cost |
Biratnagar Kings | Biratnagar | MAD Dream Sports | रू1.51 crore (US$110,000) |
Chitwan Rhinos | Chitwan | Chitwan Medical College | रू1.76 crore (US$130,000) |
Janakpur Bolts | Janakpur | Dream Sports | रू2.05 crore (US$150,000) |
Karnali Yaks | Karnali | Himalayan Builders | रू1.11 crore (US$83,000) |
Kathmandu Gurkhas | Kathmandu | Kathmandu Sports Development Venture | रू3.33 crore (US$250,000) |
Lumbini Lions | Lumbini | Fortuna Health Care | रू1.86 crore (US$140,000) |
Pokhara Avengers | Pokhara | Nepal T20 Pvt Ltd | रू3.57 crore (US$270,000) |
Sudurpaschim Royals | Sudurpashchim | Empire Sports | रू1.68 crore (US$130,000) |
Altogether 8 teams from 8 different parts of Nepal are representing their province/city in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL) with Pokhara Avengers being the most expensive franchise with Kathmandu Gurkhas and Janakpur Bolts following the second and third most expensive team respectively.
Teams and Squads
New players are getting signed daily. And the squads of each teams are getting stronger day by day. The list of squad members from each respective teams are listed below:
Biratnagar Kings | Chitwan Rhinos | Janakpur Bolts | Karnali Yaks | Kathmandu Gurkhas | Lumbini Lions | Pokhara Avengers | Sudurpaschim Royals |
Head Coaches | |||||||
Kevin O'Brien | Umesh Patwal | Pubudu Dassanayake | Gyanendra Malla | Basanta Shahi | Nandan Phadnis | Rajiv Kumar | Jagat Tamata |
Marquee Players | |||||||
Sandeep Lamichhane | Kushal Malla | Aasif Sheikh | Sompal Kami | Karan KC | Rohit Paudel | Kushal Bhurtel | Dipendra Singh Airee |
Basir Ahamad Lokesh Bam(wk) Dipak Bohara Subash Bhandari Naren Bhatt Pratish GC Mrinal Gurung Anil Kharel Jitendra Mukhiya Rajesh Pulami | Kamal Singh Airee Deepak Bohara Rijan Dhakal Santosh Karki Gautam KC Ranjit Kumar Bipin Rawal (wk) Amar Routela Dipesh Shrestha Sharad Vesawkar | Hemant Dhami Shubh Kansakar Kishore Mahato Sher Malla Lalit RajbanshiRupesh Singh Anil Sah (wk) Tul Thapa Aakash Tripathi Arniko Yadav | Mousom Dhakal Deepak Dumre Rit Gautam Arjun Gharti (wk) Gulshan Jha Dev Khanal Bhuvan Karki Dipendra Rawat Unish Singh Nandan Yadav | Shahab Alam Dipesh Kandel Krishna Karki Rashid Khan Bibek KC Sumit Maharjan Shankar Rana Raju Rijal (wk) Bhim Sharki Pratik Shrestha | Bikash Aagri Dinesh Adhikari Tilak Raj Bhandari Abhishesh Gautam Ashutosh Ghiraiya Durgesh Gupta Sundeep Jora Arjun Saud (wk) Surya Tamang Bibek Yadav | Aakash Chand Trit Raj Das Sagar Dhakal Sunam Gautam Amrit Gurung Narayan Joshi Dinesh Kharel Bipin Khatri Dilip Nath (wk) Kiran Thagunna | Binod Bhandari (wk) Bhoj Raj Bhatta Abinash Bohara Khadak Bohora Naresh BudhayerArjun Kumal Ishn Pandey Naren Saud Aarif Sheikh Amit Shrestha |
The head coach for each team has been signed and so far it looks quite promising.
Venue
The venue for the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL) is going to be the home ground of the National Cricket team of Nepal, The Tribhuvan International Cricket Stadium.
Points table
The points table for the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024-25 is illustrated below. The point table will be updated after every match.
Position | Team | Played | Won | Loss | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
1 | Biratnagar Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Advance to Qualifier 1 |
2 | Chitwan Rhinos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
3 | Janakpur Bolts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Advance to Eliminator |
4 | Karnali Yaks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
5 | Kathmandu Gurkhas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
6 | Lumbini Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
7 | Pokhara Avengers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
8 | Sudurpaschim Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
After the league starts this point table will be updated after every match.
New Players Sign-ins will be updated here. So, far the list of new sign ins are:
- Merwe Gerhard Erasmus, and Michael Levitt to Kathmandu Gurkhas
- Bas de Leede, Anderson Phillip, and Andries Gous to Pokhara Avengers
- James Neesham, and Joshua Trump to Janakpur Bolts
- Tom Moores to Lumbini Lions
- Marchant de Lange, and Luc Benkenstein to Chitwan Rhinos