NPL expected to be a lifeline for domestic cricketers

Kathmandu, Nov. 24: The Nepal Premier League (NPL) has sparked excitement among cricket fans and players, promising to elevate the Nepali cricket to new heights. The League, featuring eight teams, is set to run from November 30 to December 21 at TU International Cricket Ground.

Initially met with measured expectations, the NPL gained traction after its official launch by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) in mid-August, which unveiled its logo, schedule, and participating teams. Since then, the League has garnered widespread attention, with players, teams, and fans fuelling social media buzz. The involvement of cricket legends and a global broadcast on Star Sports has also drawn international interest, signalling the NPL’s potential to attract a global audience.

Promoted as the "Festival of Himalayas", the NPL aims to be a transformative milestone for cricket in Nepal. Significant investments and sponsorships have made the League not only a platform for showcasing talent but also a financial backbone for domestic players.

For many domestic players, the League represents a lifeline, bridging the financial gap often overlooked in Nepali cricket. Beyond monetary benefits, the NPL is poised to become a talent pool for the national team, fostering growth and competition within the sport.

However, challenges remain, including sustaining momentum and delivering on lofty expectations. Yet, with its ambitious plans and unprecedented excitement, the NPL has already made history as a turning point for Nepal's cricketing future. Fans, both local and global, are eagerly awaiting the action-packed tournament to kick off, hoping it sets a solid foundation for Nepali cricket’s bright future.

Not like before

The inaugural NPL is not Nepal's first attempt at franchise cricket but represents a bold step toward rebuilding trust after past controversies. 

The CAN previously leased the Nepal T20 League to India-based Seven3Sports for Rs. 330 million over eight years. However, the League’s reputation was marred by allegations of spot-fixing and match-fixing, leading to arrests and the eventual termination of the contract in early 2023.

Earlier leagues like the Dhangadhi Premier League, Everest Premier League, and Pokhara Premier League laid the foundation for franchise cricket in Nepal. 

With the NPL, CAN has implemented robust anti-corruption measures, including an oversight unit led by retired AIG Ishwar Babu Karki, signalling their commitment to transparency.

Stemming from past lapses, International Cricket Council (ICC) restrictions on foreign players remain a hurdle for the NPL currently. The CAN is optimistic about lifting these restrictions in future editions by proving its credibility through the successful execution of the tournament. Paras Khadka, CAN’s secretary and former captain of the national team, emphasised that the entire CAN team is united in their mission to establish NPL as a milestone for the Nepali cricket.

Investors also share this vision. During the team owner-reveal event in October, owners expressed confidence in CAN's leadership. Team ownership bids ranged from Rs. 35.7 million for Pokhara to Rs. 11.1 million for Karnali, reflecting significant investor interest. Siddhartha Bank's title sponsorship deal, touted as Nepal’s largest yet, underscores the League's financial promise, though exact figures remain undisclosed.

The NPL aspires to not only avoid the pitfalls of its predecessors but also to set new benchmarks for professionalism and growth. With heightened scrutiny and unprecedented investment, the League carries the hopes of transforming Nepali cricket into a sustainable, globally respected sport.

While the inner circle of the NPL seems trustworthy, there remains a challenge to tackling external interference that may lead to fixings. 

Retired AIG Karki, who is also overlooking the anti-corruption unit of the CAN, denied making comments on their current modus operandi for the NPL but assured that necessary steps were being taken to ensure transparency and credibility.    

The NPL has emerged as a game-changer for Nepali cricket, offering domestic players a financial boost and recognition. The league’s logo and dates were unveiled in mid-August while the national team trained abroad for ICC CWC League 2.

National players celebrated the announcement by adopting the NPL logo on their social media profiles, expressing satisfaction with the initiative. Their enthusiasm was echoed by domestic cricketers, who were rewarded through a player auction.

Out of 426 players, whose registrations were accepted, 142 were selected and categorised into Grades A, B, and C. Marquee players were procured for Rs. 2 million each, while graded players had base prices ranging from Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 1.5 million.

The CAN ensures monthly stipends for national players, but for most domestic cricketers, the NPL is set to become a financial lifeline, raising cricket as a sustainable career in Nepal. The rule for the NPL teams to select one player from the grassroots through a talent hunt has also led the eight teams to sign one new face each. The presence of hundreds of teenagers for the talent hunt by the teams shows that the grassroots is highly motivated towards the sport. 

Furthermore, Nepali cricketers, at both national and team levels, will have a fruitful time during the NPL as they will train and share the stage with some of the best individuals to have played and coached the game. 

Martin Guptill is playing for Biratnagar Kings, Shikhar Dhawan for Karnali Yaks, James Neesham for Janakpur Bolts and Ravi Bopara for Chitwan Rhinos, among others. Jhonty Rhodes, the South African player who raised the bars for fielding, and Australia’s Bradd Hodge are mentoring Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals respectively.

Benefit for the nation

Responding to how he felt regarding the NPL, Sitaram Agrahari, founding president of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF), said, “It feels like an unprecedented bloom in a desert.” 

Nepal’s U-19 men’s squad was the first to play in a T20 World Cup in 2000 hinting that the 21st century could be the era of cricket in Nepal. The U-19 team qualified for the T20 World Cups six times from 2000 to 2012. It was only in 2014 that Nepal’s senior men’s team reached the T20 World Cup for the first time in history. But it took a decade for Nepal to qualify for its second T20 World Cup, a dream that became a reality in June this year. 

“This vision and national commitment were necessary many years ago, mostly after Nepal played in the 2014 T20 World Cup. Such hype for a Nepali cricket league was never seen before,” said Agrahari, also a former editor-in-chief of Gorkhapatra Daily.

Certainly, the hype regarding the NPL has been an unprecedented one, but senior journalist Agrahari warns that it should not get over the heads of the involved stakeholders but be a motivating step for further development. 

“Nepal should return to reality and debate the lapses made over the years. We should compare ourselves with Afghanistan, not India and Australia. Afghanistan was in a more difficult situation than Nepal when they both played on equal footing until 2014. Now, the cricket heavyweights fear to face Afghanistan in any format while Nepal has been limited to a surprising challenger,” senior journalist Agrahari stressed.

Meanwhile, he recommended that the NPL can be a turning point. “The level of investment in the first edition of the NPL shows how promising cricket has turned out to be. Authorities need to capitalise it down to the grassroots. We need to make a long jump and achieve both quantitative and qualitative results.”

On the other hand, CAN hints that the NPL’s overall structure tries to cover the lapses related to cricket at the provincial, district and local levels.

“We have a 10-year plan for the franchise teams. Thus, we have done our homework to establish the NPL as a regular league. The plan consists of the benefits for the team owners and what they should do for the grassroots and national cricket structure,” said Paras Khadka in a media interaction on November 11.

Similarly, the team owners have also revealed their plan to give back to the regions they represent. “The Eastern region was the major producer of cricketers in the past. Now, a face from our region is rare in the national squad. We will utilise our franchise team to reinstate the cricket culture in Koshi Province,” said Paras Luniya, owner of Biratnagar Kings. Luniya is also a former national cricketer. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal, CAN’s spokesperson Chhumbi Lama said, “The NPL will help aid the bright future of Nepali cricket. We plan to organise the second edition under floodlights and in multiple venues from the third edition. We plan to establish NPL as one of the many platforms for the new generation of Nepali cricketers.”

“Everyone seems to be doing their best. But they should be wary of not falling for traps. Otherwise, the NPL will be left as a legacy, not a foundation for Nepali cricket,” senior journalist Agrahari said.

In less than a week, the NPL starts with the encounter between Biratnagar Kings and Janakpur Bolts on November 30.