Spread the love

Kathmandu, Mangsir 1. The second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket tournament begins today in Kathmandu. The event will run at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur until the 27th, with eight franchise teams taking part.

In the opening match, defending champions Janakpur Bolts will face Kathmandu Gorkhas. The match starts at 4 pm, and all tickets for the first game have already been sold.

Last year’s matches were played on a basic ground, but this time the venue has been upgraded with parapets that can seat ten thousand fans and six floodlights.

In the previous edition, Janakpur Bolts defeated Sudurpashchim Royals in the final to win the title. Janakpur aims to repeat that result this year.

Kathmandu Gorkhas had finished fifth in the league stage last season. The team has changed its jersey, logo, coach, and most foreign players for this edition.

Night matches

With strong interest from Nepali cricket fans, floodlights have been installed at the venue and testing has been completed, opening the way for NPL 2025 matches to be played at night.

On Sunday, the Urban Development Ministry officially handed over the stadium to the Cricket Association of Nepal.

Out of the total 32 matches this season, 23 will be played under floodlights. This includes 19 league games, three playoff matches, and the final.

For the first time in Nepal’s cricket history, a tournament will be played under floodlights. This makes today’s Janakpur vs Kathmandu match a historic one.

Nepali players are excited to play a franchise tournament under lights for the first time.

People’s News Monitoring Service