NPL today’s matches: Kathmandu vs Chitwan, followed by Janakpur vs Karnali Yaks

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Premier League (NPL) kicked off on Saturday, and today two matches are scheduled.

The first match will be between Kathmandu Gurkhas and Chitwan Rhinos, set to begin at 9:15 AM.

Both teams are from the Bagmati Province. Kathmandu Gurkhas, owned by Kathmandu Sports Development Venture, feature marquee player Karan KC, a member of the Nepal national cricket team with significant national and international experience.

Along with Karan, the team includes Bhim Sarki and Shahab Alam, both former national team players, as well as U-19 player Dipesh Kandel. Other players include Rashid Khan, Krishna Karki, Sumit Maharjan, Shankar Rana, Raju Rjal, Prateek Shrestha, and Bivek KC.

Kathmandu Gurkhas also have five foreign players: Namibia’s captain Gerard Erasmus, Netherlands’ Michael Leask, England’s Stephen Eskinazi, Dan Douthwaite, and Nathan Soter.

Chitwan Rhinos, on the other hand, have marquee player Kushal Malla, a key member of the Nepal national cricket team, with extensive experience in both national and international competitions. Other players in the squad include Amar Singh Rautela, Bipin Rawal, Deepak Bohara, Dipesh Shrestha, Gautam KC, Kamal Singh Airi, Ranjit Kumar, Rijan Dhakal, Santosh Karki, and Sharad Veswakar.

The team also boasts foreign players such as Ravi Bopara, Mersady Langa, Luke Martin Benkenstein, Hassan Ishakhil, and Jon Nichol Lofty-Eaton.

At 1:15 PM today, the second match of the tournament will take place between Janakpur Bolts and Karnali Yaks. Janakpur Bolts, having defeated the Biratnagar Kings by 8 wickets in the opening match of the tournament, are confident going into this game.

Their marquee player is Nepal’s national cricket team opener and wicketkeeper, Ashif Sheikh. The team’s captain is another national team player, wicketkeeper Anil Shah.

Along with them are spinners Lalit Rajwanshi, Rupesh Singh, Kishor Mahato, Arnikoprasad Yadav, Tulbahadur Thapamagar, Akash Tripathi, Shubh Kangsakar, Sher Mall, and Hemant Dhami.

The Janakpur squad also includes international players such as New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham, American Joshua Tromp, Sri Lankan Lahiru Milintha (who plays in the US), Pakistani Mohammad Mohsin Khan, and English all-rounder Ben Mike.

On the other side, the Karnali Yaks, owned by Himalayan Builders & Engineers, are also expected to perform well. Karnali’s marquee player is Nepal’s national team all-rounder Sompal Kami, a two-time World Cup player for Nepal.

In addition to Sompal, the team includes national team all-rounders Gulshan Jha, Dev Khanal, Rit Gautam, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Gharti, Maazam Dhakal, Bhuwan Karki, Dipendra Rawat, Yunish Vikram Singh Thakuri, and Deepak Dumre.

Karnali has signed five foreign players, including renowned Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat, Pakistan’s Hussian Talat, West Indies’ Chadwick Walton, and Oman’s Zishan Moksud. The signing of Dhawan has generated a lot of buzz, and cricket fans are eagerly anticipating the game.