NPL marquee players to receive minimum 20 lakhs, Auction set for Pre-Dashain

cricnepal Staff

September 14, 2024, 2 min read

The marquee players in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) will receive a minimum price of 20 lakh Nepalese rupees. Paras Khadka, Secretary of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), announced during today’s marquee players’ lucky draw event in Kathmandu.

Khadka clarified, “We have initiated an equal pay structure to ensure that national team players are not impacted in the future. The minimum fee for marquee players is set at 20 lakh NRS. Teams are free to offer additional incentives or bonuses based on their satisfaction with a player’s performance or the team’s success in the tournament, and that is certainly possible.”

“The player registration will open soon, and we’ll make an official announcement about it. The auction will also take place before Dashain, giving teams enough time to build their squads and seek foreign players. Several agents have already reached out to us regarding available foreign players, and we’ll share that information with the teams. However, teams will have the freedom to sign players of their choice,” Khadka stated.

The marquee players for all eight Nepal Premier League teams were confirmed today through a lucky draw. Khadka explained that the draw was designed to provide every team with an equal opportunity. The decision was made after discussions with team owners, recognizing that the demand for certain players might be higher, while others could have lower demand.

Following are the marquee players of all eight teams (teams in order of lucky draw):

1. Kathmandu – Karan Kc

2. Pokhara – Kushal Bhurtel

3. Chitwan – Kushal Malla

4. Biratnagar – Sandeep Lamichhane

5. Lumbini – Rohit Paudel

6. Janakpur – Aasif Sheikh

7. Karnali – Sompal Kami

8. Sudurpaschim – DS Airee

The marquee players will be signed with their respective teams for a minimum of three years. At the end of each season, teams will have the option to either retain or release their marquee player, in consultation with CAN.

Nepal Premier League is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 21 (Mangsir 15 to Paush 6) in Kathmandu.