The cricket craze has reached new heights in Nepal as the inaugural season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024 began on Saturday, November 30, 2024. The tournament, hosted at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, promises a spectacular display of talent, blending local cricket stars with international legends like Shikhar Dhawan, Martin Guptill, and Nepal’s own Sandeep Lamichhane.

The tournament features eight franchises—Karnali Yaks, Chitwan Rhinos, Janakpur Bolts, Kathmandu Gurkhas, Biratnagar Kings, Lumbini Lions, Sudurpaschim Royals, and Pokhara Avengers. Over the course of 32 matches, these teams will compete to claim the inaugural tournament title. All League stage Matches are scheduled at 9 AM and 1 PM (IST).

Shikhar Dhawan, Martin Guptill, Among Top Names Set to Shine in Nepal Premier League 2024

Replacing the defunct Nepal T20 League, the NPL 2024 aims to boost cricket’s popularity across Nepal and provide young players with the opportunity to learn from global stars. The tournament also seeks to strengthen Nepal’s cricketing infrastructure and reputation on the international stage.

Nepal Premier League 2024 Format

The NPL 2024 will adopt a two-stage format, starting with a single round-robin league phase similar to the Indian Premier League, where each team plays seven matches. The top four teams will advance to the playoffs, modeled after the IPL format.

The playoffs include an Eliminator between the third and fourth-ranked teams and a Qualifier 1 between the top two teams. The Qualifier 1 winner directly advances to the final, while the loser gets another chance in Qualifier 2, facing the Eliminator winner. The grand final is scheduled for December 21, 2024, to determine the champion of Nepal Premier League 2024.

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Nepal Premier League 2024 Squads 

Karnali Yaks:

Shikhar Dhawan, Sompal Kami (Marquee Player), Gulshan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Mausam Dhakal, Arjun Gharti, Dev Khanal, Rit Gautam, Bhuban Karki, Dipendra Rawat, Dipak Dumre, Unish Bikram Singh Thakuri, Chadwick Walton, Babar Hayat, Hussain Talat

Chitwan Rhinos:

Kushal Malla (Marquee Player), Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Sharad Vesawkar, Bipin Rawal, Santosh Karki, Dipesh Shrestha, Amar Singh Rautela, Deepak Bohara, Ranjeet Kumar, Gautam KC, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Marchant De Lange, Luc Benkenstein, Hassan Eisakhil.

Janakpur Bolts:

Aasif Sheikh (Marquee Player), Lalit Rajbanshi, Anil Kumar Sah, Rupesh K Singh, Kishore Mahato, Aakash Tripathi, Shubh Kansakar, Sher Malla, Hemant Dhami, Arniko Prasad Yadav, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar, James Neesham, Sohaib Maqsood, Lahiru Milantha, Muhammad Mohsin, Joshua Tromp.

Kathmandu Gurkhas:

Karan KC (Marquee Player), Shahab Alam, Bhim Sharki, Rashid Khan, Shankar Rana, Dipesh Prasad Kandel, Sumit Maharjan, Krishna Karki, Bibek KC, Pratik Shrestha, Raju Rizal, Michael Levitt, Gerhard Erasmus, Stevie Sean Eskinazi, Dan Douthwaite.

Biratnagar Kings:

Martin Guptill, Sandeep Lamichhane (Marquee Player), Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Bashir Ahmad, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Jitendra Kumar Mukhiya, Anil Kharel, Dipak Bohara, Subhash Bhandari, Naren Bhatta, Mrinal Gurung, Chris Sole, Nicholas Kirton, Aqib Ilyas, Ismat Alam.

Lumbini Lions:

Rohit Kumar Paudel (Marquee Player), Surya Tamang, Bibek Yadav, Sundeep Jora, Aashutosh Ghiraiya, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Durgesh Gupta, Arjun Saud, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishesh Gautam, Bikash Aagri, Unmukt Chand, Ben Cutting, Tom Moores.

Sudurpaschim Royals:

Dipendra Singh Airee (Marquee Player), Md Aarif Sheikh, Abinash Bohara, Binod Bhandari, Ishan Pandey, Arjun Kumal, Khadak Bahadur Bohara, Naresh Budhayer, Bhoj Raj Bhatta, Amit Shrestha, Naren Saud, Rohan Mustafa, Scott Kuggeleijn, Saif Zaib, Brandon McMullen.

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Pokhara Avengers:

Kushal Bhurtel (Marquee Player), Sagar Dhakal, Aakash Chand, Kiran Kumar Thagunna, Narayan Joshi, Bipin Khatri, Dilip Nath, Trit Raj Das, Sunam Gautam, Dinesh Kharel, Amrit Gurung, Anderson Phillip, Bas De Leede, Andries Gous, Matt Critchley, Raymon Reifer, Michael Leask.

Nepal Premier League 2024 Streaming and Live Broadcasting; Where to Watch Nepal Premier League 2024? 

The fans in India can stream the matches live on the Fan Code app and can tune in LIVE on the Star Sports Network. The Nepal fans can tune in on Television (TV) via Star Sports Network and stream the games LIVE on DishHome Go app and Action Sports HD YouTube channel.