Kathmandu Vs Chitwan In NPL: A Clash Between Experienced Karan And Young Batter Kushal Kathmandu Gurkhas and Chitwan Rhinos will compete in the second match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) on Monday. Jankur Bolts have already made a winning start in the NPL, which began on Saturday at the TU Cricket Ground.
Talking about the Kathmandu team, captain Karan KC is a player with a long experience in the national team. With him, Sahab Alam’s spin can give very good results on the TU field. Sahab is one of the best spinners who has experience in Nepali domestic and international cricket. Talking about spin, Dipesh Kandel is another star player. He can play an important role not only in spin but also in batting if the team needs it.
Talking about batting, Bhim Sarki is a player who has been nicknamed ‘Jonty’ in the Nepali national team due to his fielding. He is a reliable batsman in the middle order. Although Bhim is a very popular player in one-day matches, his ground shots are very commendable. Another batsman is Raju Rijal. He is an experienced player of Nepal. If Kathmandu can take advantage of the home ground, it will definitely be easy for Kathmandu.
Krishna Karki is a player who once made a splash in the U-19s. He is still one of the main players of Lumbini Province. He is also seen as the captain in domestic matches. Sumit Maharjan is also a player who can make good use of the TU ground in batting. He has been playing continuously for the departmental club APF.
These are the foreign players of Kathmandu
Kathmandu has brought in 5 foreign players. Among them are Mitchell Levitt, Stephen Eskinazi, Gerhard Erasmus, Dan Duthwait and Nathan Soter. This is a good coincidence for Mitchell Levitt. The young Dutch batsman Mitchell made his debut in the T20 format at the TU ground in February 2024. He is a top-order batsman. The TU ground can be special for him once again.
Stephen Eskinazi is an England wicketkeeper-batsman. Nepal is a new environment for him. Eskinazi can be the first-choice player as Kathmandu’s wicketkeeper in the first match.
English batting all-rounder Dan Duthwaite has come to Nepal for the first time. Although he has not played for the England national team, he has set many records in List A and T20. That may be the reason why Kathmandu has brought him in.
Nathan Soter is an Australian bowler. 32-year-old Nathan’s record in T20 matches is very good. How much his performance can interest Nepali cricket will be known after the first match in Kathmandu.
This is Team Chitwan
Chitwan Rhinos is a team captained by Nepal’s aggressive young batter Kushal Malla. While Kushal is leading this team, Nepal’s experienced player Sharad Veshwakar is also in Chitwan.
Talking about the batting unit, along with Sharad and Kushal, Deepak Bohora, Ranjit Kumar and Bipin Rawal are also with Chitwan. Apart from that, Ravi Bopara, John Nicole Lofty and Eaton will complete Chitwan’s batting unit.
In the bowling unit, along with Gautam KC, Amar Rautela and Santosh Karki, Pakistani bowler Shahil Tanvir will play the main role. If a part-time bowler is sought, captain Kushal himself can also come in the spin. Which Eaton Lofty can be another part-time bowler.
Chitwan’s foreign players
Chitwan has brought in 5 foreign players to play in the first season of the NPL. Ravi Bopara is an English batting all-rounder. The 39-year-old Ravi has experience playing more than 2 darshans in the professional league. Ravi, who made his debut in a T20 International for England in 2008, is coming to play in Nepal’s professional league for the first time.
Hasan Isakhil is a young batsman from Afghanistan. 18-year-old Hasan is coming to Nepal for the first time. Having played in the Afghan youth team, he can play a good opening batsman role for Chitwan.
TU Ground Pitch
The new pitch at the Tribhuvan International Cricket Ground produced just enough runs in the first match. The toss plays a very important role on this ground as there is some moisture on the pitch in the first innings. The team that wins the toss will try to bowl first.