Cricket Kitchen

Marquee Players Revealed for All 8 Teams

August 31, 2024

Kathmandu — The marquee players for all eight franchises of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024 have been finalized through a lucky draw held on Saturday, September 14 (Bhadra 29). Here’s how it turned out:

• Lumbini Lions picked captain Rohit Paudel

• Kathmandu Gurkhas got Karan KC

• Karnali Yaks selected Sompal Kami

• Sudurpaschim Royals landed Dipendra Singh Airee

• Biratnagar Kings got leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane

• Janakpur selected wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh

• Pokhara Avengers picked explosive opener Kushal Bhurtel

• Chitwan Rhinos got the power-hitter Kushal Malla

मार्की खेलाडीले २० लाख पाउने! अरुले ५ देखी १७.५ लाख सम्म पाउने सक्ने!Auction Of Nepal premier League – YouTube

Each marquee player has been valued at NPR 2 million per season. Their primary role will be to assist the team owners in building a strong squad during the auction process. These marquee contracts will initially last for three years, though teams can request a change through the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) from the following year if needed, as confirmed by Paras Khadka during the announcement ceremony.

The player auction for the rest of the squads is expected to take place at the end of September or early October. Domestic players will be divided into four grading tiers, likely labeled Diamond, Platinum, Gold, and Silver (or Grades A–D). Based on their grading, players will be priced from NPR 500,000 to NPR 1.75 million per season.

Each team will be allowed to spend up to NPR 20 million on their full squad. Teams will consist of 16 players, including up to 4 overseas players—with at least one from an Associate nation.

As per ongoing plans, every team is likely to feature at least two players from Full Member nations, and many renowned Associate and retired international cricketers are expected to participate in NPL 2024.

Likely International Stars:

From Associate Nations:

• Canada: Saad Bin Zafar

• Scotland: Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Safyaan Sharif

• UAE: Muhammad Waseem, Asif Khan, Vriitya Aravind

• Oman: Kaleemullah, Aqib Ilyas

• Netherlands: Scott Edwards, Bas de Leede

• USA: Andries Gous, NP Kinjige, Unmukt Chand, Aaron Jones

• Namibia: Ruben Trumpelmann, Gerhard Erasmus

From Full Member Nations:

• Australia: Marcus Stoinis, David Warner

• Pakistan: Shaheen Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed

• Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman

• Afghanistan: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi

• West Indies: Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo

• New Zealand: Tom Latham, Colin Munro

• Other Big Names: Chris Lynn

The Nepal Premier League 2024 is scheduled to be held at the TU Cricket Ground from November 30 to December 21.