Who Are The 8 Marquee Players Of NPL 8 franchise teams of Pal Premier League (NPL) 2024 have signed marquee players through a lucky draw.
In the lucky draw held on Saturday, the treasurer of the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN), Padam Khadka, placed 8 cricket balls tied in a black bag in a box. On behalf of each franchise team, one child was sent to catch the ball. Kathmandu, who bowled at the start, got the marquee for fast bowler Karan KC.
After that, Pokhara got Nepali cricket team opener Kushal Bhurtel, Chitwan got all-rounder Kushal Malla, Biratnagar got spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, Lumbini got captain Rohit Paudel, Janakpur got opener Asif Sheikh and Karnali got fast bowler Sompal Kami as marquee players.
The last named Nepal’s leading all-rounder, Dipendrasingh Airi, automatically reached his birthplace, Far West.
Lumbini, Sudurpaschim, and Janakpur were the marquee players of their respective regions. The marquee player will get the same Rs 20 lakh every season. The team will sign a three-year contract with them.
The main job of the marquee player is to build the team during the auction. The decision of which player to buy or not to buy should be made together with the coach and the team. Not all marquee players are captains. Decisions can be taken from the team formed after the auction.
1. Rohit Paudel – Lumbini
Lumbini, which is owned by Fortune Health Care, got the marquee player it was looking for, Rohit Paudel. The team is happy to have a reliable batsman, captain of the Nepali team, and Rohit from his home region, Nawalparasi.
Rohit led Nepal’s U-19 team in 2018. Under his captaincy, Biratnagar reached the finals of the Nepal T-20 League 2022/23. However, the first few matches in that tournament were led by West Indies’ Andre McCarthy. But after the stop-fixing allegations, Rohit captained the last 7 matches.
2. Sompal Kami – Karnali
Karnali, bought by Himalayan Builders, got Nepal’s most experienced all-rounder, Sompal Kami.
Sompal can win the team by batting well in the lower order with a fast pace. He has made an identity as a successful captain in domestic cricket tournaments.
Sompal, who hails from Gulmi, has led Nepal in all three franchise leagues except the Nepal T-20 League. In the departmental team, he plays for Tribhavun Army Club under the leadership of Vinod Bhandari. He is the only cricketer from Nepal who has played two World Cups. He has played 54 ODIs and 68 T20Is.
3. Karan KC – Kathmandu
Kathmandu, owned by Kantipur Media Group, picked the name of experienced all-rounder Karan KC in Saturday’s lucky draw. Karan first captained Biratnagar Kings in the Dhangadhi Premier League in 2019.
He led Biratnagar in the 2021 Everest Premier League. Karan did not lead in the Nepal T-20 League and Pokhara Premier League. He plays under the captaincy of Dipendra from Nepal Police Club in the departmental team.
4. Sandeep Lamichhane – Biratnagar
Biratnagar, owned by MAD Dream Sports, got Nepal’s leading spinner, Sandeep Lamichhane. Sandeep was the marquee player wanted by all franchises except Kathmandu in the lucky draw.
He has played in the world’s leading franchise league along with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has captained the domestic, franchise, and Nepali national teams.
He was suspended less than a year after being accused of rape when he was the captain of Nepal in 2022. He has captained Nepal in 18 T20Is and 14 ODIs.
Sandeep has taken 112 wickets in 51 ODIs and 100 wickets in 54 T20Is from Nepal. Sandeep is the fastest ODI player to complete 100 wickets in 42 matches. He broke Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan’s record of 44 matches.
5. Kushal Bhurtel – Pokhara
Pokhara, which is owned by Nepal T20 Pvt Ltd, picked the name of young opener Kushal Bhurtel in a lucky draw. Kushal, who has been playing from Nepal since 2021, does leg spin part-time along with aggressive opening.
Kushal captained the Lalitpur Patriots in the 2021 EPL. Under his captaincy, Lalitpur won only one out of 5 matches.
After making his debut in T20Is, he made a record of scoring half-centuries in the first three matches, and his home is Rupandehi. He has played 52 ODIs and 46 T20Is for Nepal.
6. Dipendrasingh Airi – Far West
Sudurpaschim, owned by Empire Sports, was the lucky team. In the end, Dipendra, the main weapon of the Nepali team, was chosen as the marquee player, regardless of the ball itself.
Dipendra was the cricketer wanted by all 8 franchises in the auction. Because he is a good cricketer who can easily win the team in all four areas of batting, bowling, fielding, and leadership.
Under the captaincy of Dipendra, CYC Attaria won the DPL title in 2019. Under his captaincy, the Lumbini All-Stars won the title in the Nepal T-20 League 2023. Nepal Police Club won gold in the 9th National Games 2022 and champion of the Prime Minister’s Cup 2024.
Dipendra is the player who has scored the most half-centuries in 9 balls in the history of world cricket. There is little possibility of breaking the record for a half-century he made in 9 balls against Mongolia last year. Similarly, he hit 6 sixes in 6 balls in T20Is in April this year. Dipendra has played 55 ODIs and 67 T20Is for Nepal.
7. Kushal Mall – Chitwan
Chitwan, owned by Chitwan Medical College, has made Kushal Malla a marquee player. He has not captained any tournament so far and was named the marquee player for the first time.
He became the marquee player after a brilliant performance from Nepal with aggressive batting and spin bowling.
But last February, Nicole Lofty of Namibia broke Kushal’s record by scoring a century against Nepal in 33 balls.
Similarly, he scored a century in 59 balls against Oman in the 2023 ACC Premier Cup ODI. T20 special player Kushal has played 36 ODIs and 42 T20Is for Nepal. His 137 runs scored against Mongolia last year is the best performance of his international career.
8. Asif Sheikh – Janakpur
Janakpur, which is owned by Dream Sports, picked the name of opener Asif Shaikh. What was interesting was that the boy who went to draw the ball in the lucky draw went behind the box without showing anyone and opened the tied bag. And Janakpur got Asif Shaikh from his own area that he was looking for.
Asif, who hails from Birgunj, has been playing for Nepal since 2021 and has continuously achieved great success. Asif’s contribution was important for Nepal to save its ODI status, play the Asia Cup, and reach the World Cup after 10 years.
Asif led the U-19 team from Nepal in 2018. He has not led in franchise cricket. Asif has played 49 ODIs and 47 T20Is for Nepal.
