Second Nepal Premier League NPL Begins at TU Ground

Second Edition of Nepal Premier League (NPL)

Franchise cricket leagues are very popular across the world. In India there is the IPL, in Australia the Big Bash, in the West Indies the CPL, in England The Hundred, in South Africa the Ram Slam T20 Challenge, in Bangladesh the BPL, in Pakistan the PSL, and in Sri Lanka the SPL. All of these are T20 franchise leagues played in Test-recognized cricket nations.

In addition to these, franchise leagues are played in other countries as well. Although no league has yet matched the success of the IPL, Nepal, which is emerging in world cricket, organized the Nepal Premier League (NPL), a franchise league that was compared to the IPL from its first edition. In its very first season, the NPL was ranked among the top five most valuable franchise cricket leagues in the world.

The second edition of the same NPL is starting on Monday at the TU International Cricket Ground. After the great success of the first season, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) faces the major challenge of making the second NPL even better. CAN Secretary and tournament coordinator Paras Khadka has accepted the challenge of making the NPL, which will run for about a month from Monday, a success and has expressed confidence that it will succeed with the support of all stakeholders.

The second NPL will be played in a single round-robin format, followed by an Eliminator and Qualifiers, with the title match to be held on Mangsir 27. This time there will be a total of 32 matches. Last year, CAN sold franchises in the names of eight cities for the NPL. As in the past, the teams Janakpur Bolts (defending champions), Sudurpaschim Royals (last edition runners-up), Kathmandu Gorkhas, Chitwan Rhinos, Biratnagar Kings, Lumbini Lions, Pokhara Avengers, and Karnali Yaks will compete. All teams have conducted team auctions, signed superstar players from around the world, and assembled strong squads.

Each team is allowed to field a minimum of four and a maximum of six foreign players. This time, superstar foreign players such as Faf du Plessis, Jason Roy, Wayne Parnell, Chris Lynn, and Imran Tahir have also been added. More than 40 foreign players have already been signed for the second NPL. To increase the attraction of the tournament, the participating teams have not only brought in players but also hired renowned coaches from around the world.

This time, five out of the eight teams have appointed foreign head coaches. Pubudu Dassanayake, who led Janakpur Bolts to the title last year, has become the coach of Biratnagar Kings. The other four foreign coaches are new. Janakpur has brought in one of the great West Indies batters, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, as head coach. Kathmandu Gorkhas have placed their trust in former Nepal coach Monty Desai. Similarly, Pokhara Avengers have appointed India’s Rajiv Kumar, and Lumbini Lines have entrusted Indian-origin Tinu Yohannan with the responsibility of making their team champions.

CAN Secretary Khadka has said that the arrival of these foreign players and coaches will allow Nepali players to exchange experience not only on the field but also off the field. According to him, the presence of these prominent figures will bring international recognition to the NPL and provide good exposure to Nepali players through this tournament. The financial details of contracts with foreign cricketers have not been disclosed, but Nepali players have received significant amounts from the NPL.

Each team’s marquee player has received 20 lakh rupees. Other domestic players have received between a maximum of 15 lakh and a minimum of 2 lakh rupees. Iconic players selected through talent hunts have also been given good amounts. In addition to player payments, teams have spent heavily on promotion and publicity.

In the past, business transactions worth more than 1 billion rupees took place around the NPL. Secretary Paras has said that there is a target of raising the brand value of the second edition above 2 billion rupees. According to him, as Nepali cricket is now developing as an industry, there will be even higher transactions in the second edition. NPL is Nepal’s highest-budget cricket tournament.

Another special feature of the second NPL is that, for the first time in Nepal, cricket will be played under artificial lights. According to CAN, nine league matches will be played in the daytime and 23 matches under floodlights. The government, in coordination with CAN, has upgraded the TU International Cricket Ground with floodlights.

The success of last year’s NPL and the continuous international success of Nepali cricket have created an opportunity to transform the TU Cricket Stadium. This time the NPL will be played amid colorful seating and artificial lights. For each match, 9,500 tickets will be put on sale. It has been stated that the spectator capacity of the TU Stadium is 13,000.

As in the first edition, this time too the NPL will be broadcast live on Star Sports. Therefore, the tournament will gain even wider reach.

In the first match of the second NPL, on 2081 Mangsir 1, Monday at 4:00 PM, defending champions Janakpur Bolts will face Kathmandu Gorkhas. In the last edition, Janakpur defeated Kathmandu by five wickets. Janakpur plans to show the same form and begin their title defense campaign on a positive note. Kathmandu, on the other hand, will be aiming to take revenge.

NPL Season 2 Schedule Time Table 2025