NSL: Player auction set for today

A total of 60 players—15 from Category ‘A’ and 45 from Category ‘B’—will be available for auction.

Seven NSL franchises will participate in the bidding.

Auction Base and Maximum Prices

• Category ‘A’ Players

  • Base price: Rs 200,000
  • Maximum price: Rs 400,000

• Category ‘B’ Players

  • Base price: Rs 150,000
  • Maximum price: Rs 200,000

Each team is allowed to spend up to Rs 2.2 million on player retention and auction combined.

Retained Players

As per NSL rules, each team must retain one player from Category ‘A’ and may retain one or two players from Categories ‘B’, ‘C’, or ‘D’. Five teams have retained three players each, while two teams have retained two players each.

Team-wise Retentions

• Dhangadhi City FC

  • Category ‘A’: Devendra Tamang (Defender)
  • Category ‘B’: Randeep Poudel (Defender), Ram Chandra Wajee (Midfielder)

• FC Chitwan

  • Category ‘A’: Bishal Shrestha (Goalkeeper)
  • Category ‘B’: Chhiring Gurung (Defender), Roshan Rana Magar (Midfielder)

• Kathmandu Razors FC

  • Category ‘A’: Dipesh Gurung (Midfielder)
  • Category ‘B’: Kuldeep Karki (Defender), Abhishek Baral (Goalkeeper)

• Pokhara Thunders FC

  • Category ‘A’: Ayush Ghalan (Midfielder)
  • Category ‘B’: Padam Bhattarai, Naren Chaudhary (Defender)

• Butwal Lumbini FC

  • Category ‘A’: Eric Bista (Midfielder)
  • Category ‘B’: Nirajan Dhami (Forward), Saroj Tamang (Defender)

• Lalitpur City FC (Defending Champions)

  • Category ‘A’: Sanish Shrestha (Defender)
  • Category ‘B’: Aditya Shakya (Midfielder)

• Jhapa FC

  • Category ‘A’: Chhiring Lama (Defender)
  • Category ‘B’: Prashant Laxyam (Retained but will not play for Jhapa)

Team Budgets for Auction

• Jhapa FC: Highest budget of Rs 1.9 million (needs to sign at least 9 players).
• Pokhara Thunders & Lalitpur City: Rs 1.725 million each.
• Dhangadhi, Chitwan, Kathmandu & Butwal: Rs 1.55 million each.

Squad Formation Rules

Each team must have a 22-23 member squad, consisting of players from different categories:

1. Marquee Player: One mandatory marquee player per team. Six teams have already announced their marquee signings, while Jhapa FC is expected to select Laken Limbu.
2. Foreign Players: Up to six foreign signings per team.
3. Category ‘A’: Two or three players per team.
4. Category ‘B’: Exactly six players per team.
5. Category ‘C’: Four players via draft selection.
6. Category ‘D’ / Rookie: One mandatory signing per team.
7. NRN (Non-Resident Nepali) Players: Optional for teams.

With the auction set to unfold, NSL 2024 promises intense competition as teams finalize their rosters for the upcoming season.