Nepal Premier League

Nepalese professional twenty20 cricket league

Cricket tournament

Nepal Premier League

* Festival of Himalayas

Countries|  Nepal
Administrator| Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN)
Format| Twenty20
First edition| 2024
Next edition| 2025
Tournament format| Round-robin and playoffs
Number of teams| 8
TV| Star Sports
Website| tv.ct.ws/npl/
Seasons

* 2024

The Nepal Premier League (NPL) (Nepali: नेपाल प्रिमियर लिग) is a men's professional T20 cricket league in Nepal. Also known as Siddhartha Bank NPL for sponsorship reason.[1][2] NPL is one of the major sports league in Nepal. Founded by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the league features eight provinces/cities-based franchise teams.[3][4] The inaugural season is set to be held from 15 Mangsir to 6 Poush 2081 BS[5] (30 November to 21 December 2024). The tournament will use a round-robin format, with the top teams advancing to the playoffs.

## History

[edit]

In 2022, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) organized the Nepal T20 League after signing an NPR 330 million agreement with Indian sports management company Seven3Sports for a year to hold a franchise Twenty20 league tournament in Nepal. However, the league was surrounded by many conflicts and allegations such as match-fixing and corruption.[6][7]

In January 2024, the Cricket Association of Nepal announced the creation of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), scheduled for November and December.[8] On 2 August 2024, CAN invited proposals for franchise ownership.[9][10] The official logo of the league was revealed on 19 August 2024.[11][12]

### Logo

[edit]

The logo of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) reflects the spirit and heritage of Nepal. The logo combines the iconic khukuri with a cricket bat, symbolizing the valor of the Gorkhas and the essence of Nepalese cricket. It also features elements inspired by Nepal’s national symbols: the sun and moon from the flag, representing the ambition to elevate Nepal cricket globally, and the flowing rivers which echo cricket brings to the nation. The design is inspired by Mt. Everest, symbolizing the league's aspiration to reach new heights in the global cricketing arena.[13]

## Player acquisition

[edit]

Teams acquire players through an auction.[14] Each team has a squad of 16 players, with the opportunity of signing up to four foreign players: one marquee player from lucky draw,[15][16] three grade A players, four grade B players, three grade C players and one player from talent hunt. Unsold players at the auction can become replacement signings.[17]

Other notable rules include:

* Team can buy up to 10 players from auction round (3 grade A, 4 grade B, and 3 grade C)
* Grade A player base price: रु. 10 lakhs, up to रु. 15 lakhs
* Grade B player base price: रु. 5 lakhs, up to रु. 10 lakhs
* Grade C player base price: रु. 2 lakhs, up to रु. 5 lakhs
* Players are bought by the highest-bidding franchise; if two or more bid the maximum amount, the lottery will decide which team the player will go to.
* The salary cap of the auctioned players has been allotted a purse of रु. 90 lakhs each.[18]

Highest Paid Players in NPL 2024 Auction by The Kathmandu Post[19] Player  | Team  | Salary

|
|

Aarif Sheikh | Sudurpaschim Royals (SR)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Anil Sah | Janakpur Bolts (JB)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Bhim Sharki | Kathmandu Gurkhas (KG)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Bibek Yadav | Lumbini Lions (LL)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Gulsan Jha | Karnali Yaks (KY)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Lalit Rajbanshi | Janakpur Bolts (JB)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Lokesh Bam | Biratnagar Kings (BK)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Pratis GC | Biratnagar Kings (BK)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Sagar Dhakal | Pokhara Avengers (PA)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Shahab Alam | Kathmandu Gurkhas (KG)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Surya Tamang | Lumbini Lions (LL)  | Rs 15 lakhs
Total | Rs 180 lakhs
Average salary | Rs 15 lakhs

## Teams

[edit]

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced that the 2024 Nepal Premier League (NPL) will feature eight teams, each representing major cities across Nepal.[20] This marks a significant expansion from previous leagues like Everest Premier League, Pokhara Premier League and Dhangadi Premier League, which included only six teams.[21][22] On 5 September 2024, CAN sold the eight franchise teams for the Nepal Premier League (NPL) through a bidding process at NRS 16,88,93,231.[23] The team representing Pokhara was bought with highest price of NPR 3,57,00,000 by Nepal T-Twenty Cricket Pvt. Ltd., followed by the team representing Kathmandu at NPR 3,33,33,339 by Kantipur Publications, while team representing Karnali was bought at lowest bid of NPR 1,11,70,000 by the Himalayan Builders.[24]

Biratnagar Kings

Chitwan Rhinos

Janakpur Bolts

Karnali Yaks

Kathmandu Gurkhas

Lumbini Lions

Pokhara Avengers

Sudurpaschim Royals

class=notpageimage|

All 8 NPL teams in the provinces/cities they are based in

Team  | Province/City  | Debut  | Captain  | Head coach  | Owners  | Auction Bid  | Proposed Home Ground

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Biratnagar Kings  | Biratnagar | 2024  |  |  Kevin O'Brien | MAD Dream Sports  | रू1.51 crore (US$110,000)  | Girija Prasad Koirala Cricket Stadium
| Chitwan Rhinos  | Chitwan | 2024  |  |  Umesh Patwal | Chitwan Medical College | रू1.76 crore (US$130,000)  | Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium
| Janakpur Bolts  | Janakpur | 2024  |  |  Pubudu Dassanayake | Dream Sports  | रू2.05 crore (US$150,000)  | Ram Janaki Cricket Ground
| Karnali Yaks  | Karnali | 2024  |  |  Gyanendra Malla | Himalayan Builders  | रू1.11 crore (US$83,000)  | Kalinchowk Cricket Ground
| Kathmandu Gurkhas | Kathmandu | 2024  |  |  Basanta Shahi  | Kathmandu Sports Development Venture  | रू3.33 crore (US$250,000)  | Mulpani Cricket Stadium
| Lumbini Lions  | Lumbini | 2024  |  |  Nandan Phadnis | Fortuna Health Care  | रू1.86 crore (US$140,000)  | Siddhartha Rangasala
| Pokhara Avengers | Pokhara | 2024  |  |  Rajiv Kumar | Nepal T20 Pvt Ltd  | रू3.57 crore (US$270,000)  | Pokhara Cricket Ground
| Sudurpaschim Royals  | Sudurpashchim | 2024  |  |  Jagat Tamata | Empire Sports  | रू1.68 crore (US$130,000)  | Fapla Cricket Ground

## Squad

[edit]

The player auction took place on 6 October 2024.[25][26][27]

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
Players

* Sandeep Lamichhane
* Basir Ahamad
* Lokesh Bam (wk)
* Dipak Bohara
* Subash Bhandari
* Naren Bhatt
* Pratish GC
* Mrinal Gurung
* Anil Kharel
* Jitendra Mukhiya
* Rajesh Pulami
* Aqib Ilyas
* Martin Guptill
* Nicholas Kirton
* Chris Sole
* Ismat Alam

* Kushal Malla
* Sharad Vesawkar
* Kamal Singh Airee
* Deepak Bohara
* Rijan Dhakal
* Santosh Karki
* Gautam KC
* Ranjit Kumar
* Bipin Rawal (wk)
* Amar Routela
* Dipesh Shrestha
* Ravi Bopara
* Marchant de Lange
* Luc Benkenstein
* Hassan Eisakhil
* Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton

* Aasif Sheikh (wk)
* Hemant Dhami
* Shubh Kansakar
* Kishore Mahato
* Sher Malla
* Lalit Rajbanshi
* Rupesh Singh
* Anil Sah (wk)
* Tul Thapa
* Aakash Tripathi
* Arniko Yadav
* James Neesham

* Joshua Tromp *  Bishnu Prasad Dhamala
* Sohaib Maqsood
* Mohammad Mohsin
* Lahiru Milantha (wk)

* Sompal Kami
* Mousom Dhakal
* Dipendra Rawat
* Deepak Dumre
* Dev Khanal
* Rit Gautam
* Arjun Gharti (wk)
* Gulshan Jha
* Bhuvan Karki
* Unish Singh
* Nandan Yadav
* Shikhar Dhawan
* Hussain Talat
* Babar Hayat
* Chadwick Walton (wk)

* Karan KC
* Shahab Alam
* Dipesh Kandel
* Krishna Karki
* Rashid Khan
* Bibek KC
* Sumit Maharjan
* Shankar Rana
* Raju Rijal (wk)
* Bhim Sharki
* Pratik Shrestha
* Gerhard Erasmus
* Michael Levitt
* Stephen Eskinazi
* Dan Douthwaite
* Krish Karki ( Iconic Player)

* Rohit Paudel
* Surya Tamang
* Bikash Aagri
* Dinesh Adhikari
* Abhishesh Gautam
* Ashutosh Ghiraiya
* Sundeep Jora
* Durgesh Gupta
* Tilak Raj Bhandari
* Arjun Saud (wk)
* Bibek Yadav
* Ben Cutting
* Unmukt Chand
* Tom Moores (wk)
* Ramon Simmonds

* Kushal Bhurtel
* Aakash Chand
* Trit Raj Das
* Sagar Dhakal
* Sunam Gautam
* Amrit Gurung
* Narayan Joshi
* Dinesh Kharel
* Bipin Khatri
* Dilip Nath(wk)
* Kiran Thagunna
* ~~Anderson Phillip~~
* Andries Gous (wk)
* Bas de Leede
* Matt Critchley
* Raymon Reifer
* Michael Leask
* Sudip Aryal (Iconic Player)

* Dipendra Singh Airee
* Binod Bhandari (wk)
* Bhoj Raj Bhatta
* Abinash Bohara
* Khadak Bohora
* Naresh Budhayer
* Arjun Kumal
* Ishan Pandey
* Naren Saud
* Aarif Sheikh
* Amit Shrestha
* Brandon McMullen
* Saif Zaib
* Scott Kuggeleijn
* Rohan Mustafa

Total Players:16 | Total Players:16 | Total Players:16 | Total Players:15 | Total Players:16 | Total Players:15 | Total Players:17 | Total Players:15

* Players in bold are Marquee Players of their respective teams.

## Tournament seasons and results

[edit]

Year  | Final  | Final venue  | Player of the season

|
|
|

Winner  | Result  | Runner-up
2024 |  |  |  |  |

## Teams' performance

[edit]

### Seasons

[edit]

Season
(No. of teams)  | 2024
(8)

|

Biratnagar Kings  | –
Chitwan Rhinos  | –
Janakpur Bolts  | –
Kathmandu Gurkhas  | –
Karnali Yaks  | –
Lumbini Lions  | –
Pokhara Avengers  | –
Sudurpaschim Royals  | –

* All the NPL teams have been listed alphabetically.
* C: Champions
* R: Runner-up
* SF or PO: Team qualified for the semi-final or playoff stage of the competition

### Position of teams in NPL

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd  | 4th  | 5th  | 6th  | 7th  | 8th

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2024

* Indicates qualified for playoffs

(C) = Eventual champion; (R) = Runner-up.

## Records and statistics

[edit]

A summary of the most notable statistical records associated with the tournament is provided below:

As of 9 November 2024
Batting Records

Record Name  | Player Name (Team)  | Record
Most runs  | \-  | \-
Highest score  | \-  | \-
Highest partnership  | \-  | \-
Most sixes  | \-  | \-
Most fours  | \-  | \-
Best strik rate  | \-  | \-
Most centuries  | \-  | \-
Most half-centuries  | \-  | \-
Fastest centuries  | \-  | \-
Fastest half-centuries  | \-  | \-
Most runs in a season  | \-  | \-
Bowling Records
Most wickets  | \-  | \-
Best bowling average  | \-  | \-
Best economy  | \-  | \-
Most hat-tricks  | \-  | \-
Best bowling figures  | \-  | \-
Most wickets in a season  | \-  | \-
Fielding
Most dismissals (wicket-keeper)  | \-  | \-
Most catches (wicket-keeper)  | \-  | \-
Most stumpings (wicket-keeper)  | \-  | \-
Most catches (fielder)  | \-  | \-
Other records
Most (appearances) matches  | \-  | \-
Team records
Highest total  | \-  | \-
Lowest total  | \-  | \-
Most tournament wins  | \-  | \-

* Source:

## Broadcasting

[edit]

The Nepal Premier League has officially announced its television rights partnership with Star Sports for its inaugural season.[28][29]

## See also

[edit]

* Cricket in Nepal
* List of cricket leagues in Nepal
* Everest premier League
* Dhangadi Premier League
* Pokhara Premier League
* Sports in Nepal
* List of professional sports leagues in Nepal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Siddhartha Bank title-sponsored Nepal Premier League live on Star Sports". GorakhaPatra. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
2. ^ "Siddhartha Bank named title sponsor of Nepal Premier League". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
3. ^ "CAN announces eight franchises for Nepal Premier League". Khabarhub. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
4. ^ "Eight teams announced for Nepal Premier League". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
5. ^ "CAN unveils annual sports calendar for 2024". MyRepublica. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
6. ^ "Nepal T20 League: CIB says 3 Nepali, 4 foreign players involved in spot-fixing". Retrieved 29 August 2024.
7. ^ "Nepal T20 League: ICC team inspects spot-fixing allegations and returns". Onlinekhabar. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
8. ^ "CAN to organize Nepal Premier League in November and December". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
9. ^ "CAN issues RFP for Nepal Premier League franchise ownership". Cricnepal. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
10. ^ "Request for Proposal (RFP) for Franchise Ownership". Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
11. ^ "CAN unveils new Nepal Premier League logo and schedule". Cricnepal. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
12. ^ Mitra, Adreej Kumar (20 August 2024). "Cricket Association of Nepal reveals NPL logo during 'Celebration of Nepal Cricket' program". CricTracker. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
13. ^ "Official NPL Logo and Symbolism". Official NPL Twitter. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
14. ^ "Nepal Premier League auction to feature 142 players". Cricnepal. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
15. ^ "8 Marquee Players in Nepal Premier League to Earn NPR 2 Million: Find Out Which Player Represents Which Team". Wicket Nepal. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
16. ^ "Why the Lucky Draw System in the Nepal Premier League Misses the Mark". Cricnepal. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
17. ^ "Nepal Premier League auction: Everything you need to know". Cricnepal. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
18. ^ "एनपीएलको अक्सनमा बढीमा ९ लाख खर्च गर्न पाउने" [A maximum of 9 million can be spent on NPL auction]. Onlinekhabr (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 October 2024.
19. ^ "12 players sold at highest price at Nepal Premier League auction". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
20. ^ "Nepal Premier League to feature eight teams". Cricnepal. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
21. ^ "CAN announces eight franchises for Nepal Premier League". Khabarhub. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
22. ^ "CAN reveals eight team names for Nepal Premier League". Cricnepal. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
23. ^ "Franchise auction confirms owners for all eight teams in Nepal Premier League". Cricnepal. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
24. ^ "NPL Franchise Teams Sold, Pokhara Fetches Highest Price". Neplays. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
25. ^ "12 players sold at highest price at Nepal Premier League auction". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
26. ^ "Nepal Premier League 2024 auction full players list: Get squads of all teams". sportsadda. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
27. ^ "NPL auction concludes". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
28. ^ "CAN grants Star Sports the right to broadcast Nepal Premier League". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
29. ^ Staff, cricnepal (15 November 2024). "Star Sports confirmed as official broadcaster for Nepal Premier League". cricnepal.com. Retrieved 15 November 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Nepal Premier League at Wikimedia Commons

Links to related articles

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* e

Cricket in Nepal

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN)

National teams|

* Men
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Members (teams)|

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* M
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|

Franchise|

* Nepal Premier League
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Regional|

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Players|

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Records|

* One Day International records
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* v
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Twenty20 cricket leagues

Current|

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|

Americas|

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Asia|

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| International|

* Champions League Twenty20 (International)
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|

Africa|

* Mzansi Super League (South Africa)
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Americas|

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Asia|

* Etisalat Sixes T20 Tournament (Afghanistan)
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Europe|

* Charlotte Edwards Cup (England and Wales)
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Oceania|

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