The biggest festival in domestic cricket is approaching nearer as the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is set to host the first ever Nepal Premier League (NPL). The league has already gained popularity before its the start.
Eight city based franchises will be playing in the inaugural edition of the league with eight marquee players already announced.
Opener duo Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel will represent Janakpur and Pokhara respectively. Similarly, star bowler Sandeep Lamichhane will play from Biratnagar.
Skipper Rohit Paudel will represent Lumbini with Dipendra Singh Airee picked up by Sudur Paschim. Kathmandu and Karnali will get the services from two pacers duo Karan KC and Sompal Kami respectively.
Hard hitter Kushal Malla will represent Chitwan in the Nepal Premier League.
According to the CAN, all these eight marquee players will receive atleast 20 lakhs Nepali rupees for the league.
Beside these Marquee players, the franchises will pick their remaining players through an auction. The auction will take place just before the Dashain festival with players registration already being open. A player can register their name in three different categories (A, B and C) along with their base price of 2 lakhs, 5 lakhs and 10 lakhs for Category A, B and C respectively.
So, who will be the most expensive player in the auction ? Whose demand will be the most during the auction? We will be discussing the three names who will be the most demanded player during the auction of Nepal Premier League.
#3 Anil Kumar Sah (Wicket-keeper Batter)
T20 cricket is more about agressive intent in the batting and Anil Kumar Sah has been establishing himself as one of the player with aggressive intend from the ball one. Sah’s name in Nepali cricket seems to be new but he has been working to get into the national team since 2019. He was included in Nepal’s squad in the Eastern sub-region group for theĀ 2018ā19 ICC World Twenty20 Asia QualifierĀ tournament. After that, he failed to come back in the team time and again.
Continous hard work and improvement in his playing style, he started to shine in domestic cricket tournament. He became the highest runs scorer in PM Cup 2024 with 385 runs. As a result of his consistent performance, Sah was included in Nepal A and was called in the national side.
In his first match after the comeback, Anil smashed his first ever ODI Century against Canada. After that, he hasn’t looked back and his agressive intend of batting earned himself a spot in Nepal’s T20I Cricket World Cup squad.
With limited amount of wicket-keeper batter with aggressive intend, the franchises will go on to target the 25-years old Anil Kumar Sah and he can earn good amount of money from the auction.
| T20 Stats | |
| Matches: | 13 |
| Runs: | 196 |
| Strike Rate: | 115.29 |
| 50s: | 1 |
#2 Abhinash Bohara (Fast Bowler)
Abhinash Bohara is often called as a death over specialist and he has been doing that job for Nepal in many matches. He is specially suited for the shorter format of the match and Nepal Premier League will be great platform to use his experience and help his franchise.
Bohara is Nepal’s third highest wicket taker in T20 International with 75 wickets and is eying a century to join his fellow spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.
Bohara’s pin-point yorker will surely lure bids from many teams and could be one of the most demanded player in the auction.
| T20 Stats | |
| Matches: | 70 |
| Wickets: | 77 |
| Strike Rate: | 17.4 |
| Economy: | 7.51 |
| 4 Wickets Haul: | 2 |
#1 Gulshan Jha (All-rounder)
Gulshan Jha, Nepal’s one of the finest all-rounder who is growing and improving day by day. Gulshan Jha has single handedly guided Nepal in various occasions, be it with bat or with ball.
Just 18 years of age, Jha has played crucial role in Nepal’s recent success. His brilliant performance against UAE help Nepal to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. Similarly, he guided us to the ACC Asia Cup 2023 where Nepal got chance to play against India and Pakistan.
Jha also played an important role in Nepal’s T20 World Cup 2024 Qualification campaign.
Brilliant with the ball, can bat at any positions; Gulshan Jha will be a match winner and which ever team gets him, the team will be lucky. All the eight franchises could go for him in the auction and will surely be the highest bid player in the Nepal Premier League 2024 auction.
| Batting | |
| Matches: | 39 |
| Runs: | 532 |
| Strike Rate: | 140.74 |
| 50s: | 1 |
| Bowling | |
| Matches: | 39 |
| Wickets: | 23 |
| Economy: | 7.23 |
| Strike Rate: | 18.1 |
These players are expected to set the stage for an intense bidding competition, with teams eager to secure their talents for the upcoming season. The auction for the Nepal Premier League 2024 will take place on October 6.