The third season of KPL will start in Falgun.

 

Kathmandu. The third edition of the provincial-level franchise competition, Koshi Pride League (KPL), organized by Koshi Pride Pvt. Ltd., is scheduled to be held from Falgun 9 to 21.

Stating that it will be held ‘with the encouragement of the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN), CAN Secretary Paras Khadka, and the Koshi Province Cricket Association,’ KPL Director Afzal Hossain informed a press conference held in Kathmandu on Sunday that seven franchise teams will participate in the competition.

According to Hossain, Namuna Blasters, Itahari Adarsh ​​Giants, Birtamod Hits, Purveli Super Kings, Everest Thunders, BN Koshi Arnas, and Gorkha Avengers will participate in the competition.

Hossain also revealed the names of the owners of all seven franchise teams at the press conference. According to which, Namuna Blasters is owned by Dharma Neupane, while Itahari Adarsh ​​Giants is owned by Kalpit Dhakal.

Similarly, while Birtamod Hits is owned by Anurag Pramanik, Purveli Super Kings is owned by Dinesh Dhakal, Sanjog Rana, Santosh Timlasina, Shekhar Lama, and Lucky Shrestha. Similarly, Everest Thunders is owned by Akash Khadka, BN Koshi Arnas is owned by Mohammad Seraj Ansari, and Gorkha Avengers is owned by Vijay Khadka and Pujanbabu Bhattarai, Hussain informed.

According to him, there is a rule that each team participating in the competition must have at least 11 players. In which one marquee, one iconic, and three national team players must be selected from the draft; three players from Category 'A'; two from Category 'B'; and one from Category 'C.'.

He said that an auction will be held soon to build the team. The organizers have already started the open player registration process for the auction. Players can register their names through the MyPay app. The auction price for Category ‘A’ is set at a minimum of Rs 45,000 to Rs 65,000, for Category ‘B’ at a minimum of Rs 25,000 to Rs 45,000, and for Category ‘C’ at a minimum of Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000.

The chief guest of the competition, CAN Secretary Paras Khadka, wished the Koshi Pride League a grand success. ‘It is good to have such a competition to make domestic cricket professional. The Koshi Pride League is being held in its third edition. Best wishes to the team for that,’ said Secretary Khadka. ‘They are organizing the competition by making their own ground perfect. With the Koshi Pride League, other provinces also have the opportunity to organize a similar big league.’

The coordinator of the competition, Govinda Poudel, opined that the Koshi Pride League is not only a cricket competition but also a place to identify young talent, and it will help in the development of Nepali cricket.

Sunsari District Cricket Association President and Technical Head Chetnath Poudel said that Koshi has been organizing competitions even when CAN was suspended, and this league will help increase the capacity of the players. ‘We have been organizing various competitions in Koshi for a long time. We were able to organize leagues in Sunsari even when CAN was suspended. It is a good thing to have the Koshi Pride League, as there is no good ground in Koshi itself. This will help equip the players and increase their individual capacity.

Jhapa District Cricket Association President Prabin Thapa said that many local leagues are starting after the discussion of NPL. He said that this competition is a means for players who have not been able to play in the NPL to show their capabilities. ‘The second NPL has just concluded. Many competitions have been held after the discussion of NPL. It is a great thing to be able to continue. Koshi Pride League competition is also an opportunity for players who have not participated in NPL.’

‘We are hopeful that the grassroots program will improve along with the development of Koshi State cricket through this competition. "We believe that this tournament will produce new players for the Nepal Premier League (NPL), which has become the dream of Nepalis. We have taken the preparations for the tournament forward in a grand manner," said tournament director Hussain.