Basanta Khatri named iconic player for Sudurpaschim Royals in NPL

KATHMANDU: All-rounder Basanta Khatri has been selected as the iconic player for the Sudurpaschim Royals franchise through a talent hunt for the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL).

The selection event took place on Sunday at the Dhangadhi Cricket Academy ground.

Basanta will now officially represent Sudurpaschim Royals in the NPL.

In addition to Khatri, seven other players were chosen for the team under the banner of Sudurpaschim Royals Heroes.

These include Ayub Chand, Abhishek Pal, Basanta Singh Karki, Bhupesh Joshi, Dharmaraj Joshi, Sushil Rawal, and Tek Rawat, who will train with the squad throughout the NPL season.

The Royals, who have been training in Dhangadhi for the past few days, are set to depart for Kathmandu to compete in the league.

The franchise’s marquee player is Dipendra Singh Airee, a star from the Sudurpaschim Province.

The team is mentored by Australian cricketer Brad Hodge, with Jagat Tamata as the head coach.

The Royals have also secured their foreign player quota, signing Brandon McMullen (Scotland), Saif Ali Zeb (England), Scott Kuggeleijn (New Zealand), and Rohan Mustafa (UAE).

Additionally, the franchise picked several players through the auction, including Aarif Sheikh, Avinash Bohara, Binod Bhandari, Arjun Kumal, Khadak Bohara, Ishan Pandey, Naresh Budhayer, Bhojraj Bhatt, Naren Saud, and Amit Shrestha. However, Arjun Kumal and Naren Saud are currently busy with the U19 national team.