In the ongoing South Asian Regional Qualifiers Tournament for the ITF Asia U-12 Team Tennis Championship, Nepali junior tennis team recorded a victory against the Bhutanese junior tennis team in the boy’s category by 3-0.

In the singles’ category, while Nepal’s Aki Zuben Rawat won over Bhutan’s Tashi Nima Chhiring by 6-0,6-0, another Nepali player Aarav Samrat defeated Hada Bhutan’s Sherab Gelsen by 6-0,6-1.

Whereas, it was the Nepali pair of Pranab Manandhar and Hada who won over Bhutan’s Jigme Pema Nagme and Chhiring by 6-0, 6-0 in the double’s category.

However, the Nepali team lost it out to Indian junior tennis team in the girls’ category. The boys’ category saw the participation of five teams including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan.

The tournament is being held in the round robin format, of which, the top four teams will move to the semi-finals.

The finalists of this tournament in both the categories will move to the finals of the Asian event to be held in Kazakhstan in November 2018.

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Be it in terms of political transformation, participation at global-level events, victories at international-level competitions, 2017 has really been a game changer year for Nepal.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Nepal’s developments and major happenings in 2074 that contributed to the country’s overall progress:

Politics

Politics is one area that Nepal has received a major global traction from in the year 2074.

The country saw its long-awaited political transformation during the year through key local body and provincial and parliamentary elections.

The three-tier local body elections on May 14, June 28 and September 19 and the two-phase most important general elections for provincial and parliamentary seats on November 26 and December 7 brought in various landmark changes in the country’s political scenario.

Local body polls, considered as a first step towards long-awaited political change, was the first such election held in Nepal in the last 20 years. This election witnessed an active participation from all sections of Nepali society including women, youth and elderly, registering a record voter turnout and getting a due response for Nepal from the world governments.

Then, the provincial and parliamentary elections held in two phases really shook the country’s political landscape shifting the power from the then ruling Nepali Congress into the hands of the Communist Alliance (CPM and CPN-UML).

While the first phase of the election was held across 37 constituencies of the House of Representatives and 74 provincial assembly constituencies, the second phase covered a total of 45 districts of the Terai and hill areas for electing a total of 128 seats for the House of Representatives and 256 provincial assembly seats.

Finally, Nepal now has the Communist government led by the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Also Read
Oli is Back Again As 41st Nepal PM
Local Polls 2017: An All-round Applause for Nepal
Nepal General Elections 2017: Successful Participation of Citizens, Parties and Voters Observed

Bilateral Ties

Bilateral ties is one key aspect that matters a lot for any country when it comes to dealing with external relations.

Nepal has made many major moves in this regard in 2017, which strengthened the country’s global position in terms of diplomatic ties.

With regard to fresh establishment, Nepal signed diplomatic ties with the State of Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Benin, Uganda, Bahamas, among other countries.

Besides, the country has also gone a step forward in taking ahead the ties with its existing partners.

In 2017, Nepal celebrated decades of its friendship with many countries like US, India, Sri Lanka, among others. Some of the major developments in this regard include:

• Nepal and India celebrated 70 years of friendship in 2017 amid grand celebrations at the Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India in Kathmandu on February 10, 2018…Read More
• Nepal and US also completed 70 years of their friendship on December 13, 2017, pledging for strong economic cooperation and enhancement of trade cooperation between the two countries…Read More
• Nepal has also completed 60 years of its friendship with Sri Lanka on December 19, 2017, wherein, both the countries increased collaboration across regional and multilateral platforms…Read More
• The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (AFEC) have also signed a MoU on October 31, 2017 for increased trade and business cooperation between the two nations…Read More
• Nepal and Brazil have also formed the six-member Brazil-Nepal Parliamentary Group on November 29, 2017 for enhancing the diplomatic ties between the two countries…Read More
• The Government of Nepal has also signed an agreement for the formation of a bilateral consultation mechanism with the Government of Morocco…Read More
• Nepal and Pakistan have also discussed strong SAARC and regional cooperation on March 05, 2018…Read More
• Nepal and Zambia have also discussed cooperation for investment in various sectors in a meeting held on February 09, 2018…Read More

Overall, 2074 has been a successful year for Nepal with regard to strengthening its global position through external relations.

Economy

Nepali economy saw a positive trend in 2074 as evident in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s assessment report that called Nepal as the third fastest-growing economy in the world.

By economic growth projection of 7.5 percent, Nepal ranked third after Ethiopia (8.3 percent) and Uzbekistan (7.6 percent) for the year.

In its another report- Inclusive Development Index (IDI) 2018 in South Asia, WEF positioned Nepal at the top of the list of South Asian countries in terms of inclusive development. Globally, Nepal stood at the 22^nd position among 74 countries in the survey that analyzed 103 economies by growth and development, inclusion, and inter-generational equity.

With a 4.15 score, Nepal was also featured between slowly-advancing and rapidly-advancing nations in the emerging economies category.

With hope on increasing revenues, the Government of Nepal also has big budget plans for the
FY 2018-19, i.e. at around Rs 1,570 billion.

The Ministry of Revenue, Nepal expects a 30 percent rise in revenue collection in the FY 2018-19 at around Rs 950 billion, which is Rs 220 billion above the current fiscal target. The government is also planning to boost revenue generation through domestic debt to Rs 153 billion.

Besides, the government is also expecting an additional Rs 286 billion in foreign investment.

Entertainment

Entertainment is another interest aspect that brought global attention to Nepal in 2074.

In 2074, Nepali movies performed well at the global-level film festivals and the country has also hosted many film festival events. Some of the related major happenings that drew wide public attention include:

• Nepal-America International Film Festival 2017 for connecting Nepali and American films
• Newari Film Festivalfor the promotion of Newari films
• Nepal Africa Film Festival 2017 featuring films of various languages
• Film Southasia 2017, a festival of South Asian documentaries
• Nepali Indigenous Film Festival in New York
• National Film Development Board (NFDB) Special Film Awards, to name a few.

2074 majorly saw Nepali Director Deepak Rauniyar being featured as one among ‘The 9 New Directors You Need to Watch’ for his films- Highway and White Sun.

Sports

Nepal has always been active in sports and is also unique for Dandi Biyo, the country’s traditional sport and national sport until 2017, a significant period for Nepali sports.

It was in 2017 that the then Government of Nepal took a historic decision of officially declaring Volleyball as Nepal’s national sport replacing the traditional Dandi Biyo.

Though the discussions over volleyball as national sport began long back, the official declaration was made on May 23, 2017.

A major milestone for Nepali sports in 2017 was seen in the form of cricket, wherein, the Nepali teams proved their dashing performance at various international-level cricket tournaments.

Nepali cricket teams (U-19, U-16 and national cricket team) left their special mark at various international-level cricket tournaments.

Some of the key international-level sports events where Nepal made its mark include:

• ACC U16 Cricket Eastern Region Championship – Champion
• ACC U-19 Youth Asia Cup 2017– Moved to semi-finals
• ACPL T20 Trophy – Champion, to name a few
• World Martial Peace Cup 2017 – Won two gold and three silver medals
• International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament – Bagged Men’s title
• World Powerlifting Championship– Bagged Silver and Bronze medals
• International Taekwondo Championship – Six Gold medals
• World Junior Judo Championship – First time participation

Nepal also entered into the world of T20 cricket in 2017. The country organized its first-ever Twenty20 cricket premier league called Everest Premier League (EPL) at the Tribhuvan University (TU) Stadium.

Continuing the success track, Nepali cricket crossed more key milestones in the start of 2018:

• For the first time in its history, Nepal secured ODI status on March 15, 2018 after a dashing win against Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier play-off match at the Old Hararians Sports Club in Zimbabwe.
• Secured its place in the 2019 cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament
• Sandeep Lamichhane became the country’s first Nepali cricketer in Indian Premier League (IPL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 tournaments.
• Nepali Expatriate Football Team made it to semi-finals in the 6^th Asian Non-Resident Football Tournament

Overall, 2074 (2017) was a successful year for Nepal. Let’s hope for more bigger events in 2075.

Culture

As in every year, Nepal celebrated its annual cultural festivals on a grand scale in 2074 as well, in fact, on a bigger scale.

Nepal’s biggest festival season including festivals such as Dashain, Tihar and Chhath stood as the cultural highlight of the year among other unique Nepali festivals like Kanya Puja– The Festival of Young Girls, Gaijatra– The Festival of Cows, Indra Jatra– The Street Festival.

Other major culture-related highlights of Nepal that made headlines in in 2074 include:

• Nepal got its new living goddess
• Nepal Academy, a national center for promotion of Nepali language, literature, culture and philosophy,held its 32^nd Academic Assembly to formulate policies and regulations for the effective functioning of the organization for promotion of Nepali language and culture
• A group of 36 Nepalis embarked on a two-week-long journey touring India and Nepal towards promoting Indo-Nepal cultural tourism
• Nepal Music Festival – An event to promote Nepali music and culture

Besides, the Government of Nepal has also discussed strengthening of cultural exchanges and ties with foreign nations during various bilateral meetings during the year.

Tourism

Nepal has a special place for tourism as evident in the country’s status as one of the most-sought global tourism destinations.

Some of the key highlights pertaining to Nepali tourism in 2074 include:

• The Nepali Embassy in Sri Lanka organized Nepal Night, a tourism promotion program called ‘Nepal Night’ in Colombo on December 15, 2017 to promote Nepal tourism
• A week-long tourism promotion activity by the Nepal Sales Mission to Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bangalore (India) during December 14-21, 2017
• World Travel Market (WTM) 2017, global tourism expo held at ExCel London, a London-based exhibition and international convention center, called Nepal as an ‘Exotic Holiday Gateway’
• 7-month long Annapurna Sanctuary Tourism Festival 2074 has been launched on October 11, 2017 with a total planned investment of Rs 15 million
• Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) laid special focus on domestic tourism as part of the country’s tourism season in 2017 (October-November)
• Religious tourism at Pashupati reported a rise during the 2003-17 period
• Nepal Tourism reached nearly 1 million tourist arrival target with 940,218 arrivals at the end of December 2017

Overall, tourism sector saw an upward trend in the current year and is hoping big for the future.

Events & Conferences

Nepal hosted and participated in a good number of international and national level events and conferences that brought a wide global attention to the country in 2074. Some of them include:

• International celebrities such as former US Ambassador to Nepal Scott DeLisi, the legendary mountaineer and TV personality Russell Brice, and national celebrities such as Manisha Koirala joined the Nepal Fire Expedition on November 2017
• Globally-renowned social welfare organization Street Child organized an International Marathon for Social Welfare on November 2017
• Non-Resident Nepalis (NRN) met for the 8^th General Assembly of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) International General Assembly and Global Conferenceon October 2017
• In a move promoting domestic tourism, Nepal’s most famous annual Elephant Festival 2017 was held in Chitwan on December 2017 with the participation of over 50 elephants
• Two international photo exhibitions namely, ‘Nepal through Australian volunteers’ lens’ and ‘International Photography Competition on Nepal’ were held marking the International Volunteer Day 2017 and to promote Nepal tourism, respectively
• National Women Rights Forum (NWRF) Nepal, ActionAid International and Asmita Women’s Publishing House jointly organized the National Women Conference 2017 in December 2017
• Towards encouraging women participation in local governance across South Asia, the All Nepal Women’s Association organized a two-day South Asian Women’s Conference in Kathmandu in August 2017
• UNSC debate on Women, Peace and Security in New York in October 2017
• Asian Junior Weightlifting Championship in July 2017
• Biggest Online Food Festival in December 2017
• 4-day Global Conference on Climate Change on climate change concerns in Hindu Kush mountain range
• Nepal Chamber Expo 2017 that made a Rs 50 million business
• Nepal raises its key concerns at the 72^nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and also signs Nuclear Prohibition Treaty

Immigration

As a country with more number of expatriate population, Nepal holds high significance for immigration sector.

Here are some of Nepal’s major immigration updates in 2074:

• In a move supporting Nepali migrants in Jordan, the Governments of Nepal and Jordan agreed to form a joint technical committee to implement the Bilateral Labor Agreement (BLA), the pact that ensures protection Nepali migrant labor in Jordan
• Towards addressing health concerns of migrants, the Nepali Ministry of Health, UN Migration Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) discussed implementation of the National Migration Health Policy (NMHP) in October 2017
• US Government invited applications for the United States’ 2019 electronic Diversity Visa (DV) program from Nepali immigrants in October 2017
• The Government of Nepal, on September 11, 2017, decided to issue native passports to the Nepali children born in foreign nations
• United Nations’ first-ever study of a 10-year trend in migration and remittance flows over the 2007-2016 period named Nepal named as the top remittance-dependent nation; Remittances make up 32 percent of GDP
• Nepalese travelling to Japan for employment on rise, form the largest South Asian and the sixth largest foreign populace living in Japan
• Nepalese form the fastest growing community in Australia with an annual growth of around 27 percent
• Nepali Labor Ministry pitches for skill development among migrants at the 331^st governing board meeting of ILO in Geneva, in November 2017
• Nepal and Bahrain discussed labor cooperation at a bilateral meeting in Bahraini capital, Manama in December 2017

Besides, there is an increasing trend of more number of Nepali youth preferring foreign destinations for career opportunities. On the other hand, the Government of Nepal is also under plans to generate more opportunities, locally.

Technology

In the fast-growing digital world, technology is one key aspect for the development of any society.

Nepal is also majorly catching up this trend as evident in some of technology-driven initiatives in the country in 2074, which include:

• To ensure next-generation air traffic control at the airports, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) introduced an advanced radar system at Bhatte Danda of Lalitpur district to monitor Nepal’s Air Traffic Control (ATC)
• Digital Nepal: Nepal Goes Digital in TV Broadcasting
• A group of Nepali engineers introduced the country’s first-of-its-kind smart wheelchair to help physically challenged
• Nepal’s first electronic Intensive Care Unit (e-ICU) facility was inaugurated at the Vayodha Hospital
• Reputed banks express their willingness to play a vital role in revolutionizing Nepali eCommerce sector through new technology-driven digital platforms
• Nepal’s first IT Park in Banepa resurges after years of inactivity
• Ministry of Health announces technology-driven health apps, mHealth and eHealth, services to the public
• Nepal gets STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) laboratory in Kanjirowa National Secondary School at Koteshwor

Besides, these Nepal has been welcoming many technology giants and has also gone to a far extent in internet and mobile adoption, thus turning as a fast-emerging market for technology adoption.

The End Note

Overall, 2074 has really been a year of transformation for Nepal in all the aforementioned aspects adding to the country’s future progress. Hope the country would reach much greater heights in the years to come!

Also Read:
Nepal 2017 Highlights: Politics and Bilateral Relations
Nepal 2017 Highlights: Culture And Tourism Highlights
Nepal 2017 Highlights: Immigration and Other Major Updates
Nepal 2017 Highlights: Hydropower Potential Grows Three-fold with 16 New Projects

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According to the Nepal Martial Self-Defense Association (NMSDA) Central Chair DB Ranapal from Morocco, the martial arts tournament saw Nepali martial arts team members Arjun Rokka of Solukhumbu and Sanju Maharjan bagging two gold and silver medals each.

The championship was organized by the Martial Self-Defense International Association Portugal in Morocco.

The seven-member Nepali team includes Ranapal and first Vice-Chair Nutan Shrestha, among others.

Taekwondo On the Other Side

Meanwhile, the Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) also won the recently-held eighth Korean Ambassador Open National Taekwondo Tournament.

The Taekwondo championship held at the Nepal Taekwondo Academy, Lalitpur saw TAC winning nine gold, four silver and 12 bronze medals.

While a total of five gold, two silver and six bronze medals were registered under the men’s category, the women’s category saw four gold, two silver and six bronze winners.

Nepal Police Club made it to the second position in the tournament bagging three gold and a silver medal in men’s category, and three gold, a silver and two bronze medals in the women’s category.  

Nepal Taekwondo Association Vice-presidents Bhoj Bahadur Shah and Nandu Rai, and the National Sports Council Vice-president Lama Tendi Sherpa were present at the award ceremony.

This Taekwondo championship was jointly organized by the Nepal Taekwondo Association and South Korean Embassy in Nepal.

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In the tournament’s final match held at Terdthai Cricket Ground on December 17, 2017, Nepali U-16 team registered an astounding 72-run victory against the Singapore U-16 cricket team.

                          Bishal Bakram is the Man of the Match

The Nepali team, which chose to bat first, had set a 184-run target with its dashing batting order.

Scoring 63 runs in 79 balls with a half-century in 68 balls, KC formed a strong base for Nepal’s batting order, followed by hard-hitting Narayan Joshi who scored 46 in just 23 balls with five boundaries and a sixer, Suwash Ayer (22), Trit Raj Das (19) and Sunil Bhandari (15).

When it comes to bowling, Nepali bowlers Surya Tamang and Ajay Kumar Loniya remained the highlights of the match claiming three wickets each, driving the Singaporean U-16 cricket towards failure.

Nepali bowlers sent off the Singaporean U-16 batsmen to pavilion within 35 overs, limiting them to 122-run score and bringing in an outstanding victory for Nepal.

Bishal Bikram led the Nepali team in the absence of Captain Rit Gautam and stood as the ‘Man of the Match’.

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Pratima Sherpa (18), a girl born to a couple working in the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) course next to the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, never thought that she would become Nepal’s top-rated female golf player.

Sounds That Resonated

                        Pratima Sherpa with her parents

Aspiring to become Nepal’s first female professional golfer, Pratima recalls her rejoicing moments in her early days where she used to feel refreshed listening to the sounds of golf balls hit by golfers at the club.

In fact, Pratima’s passion for golf sport stemmed out during her family’s stay at the golf course with lawnmowers as part of their employment and has moved her further to take up the sport properly from the age of 11 years.

Whereas, roots for her passion actually lies in the typical Nepali rural outdoor game Dandi Biyo, played by hitting a 6-inch long wooden pin (Biyo) into the air with a wooden stick (Dandi) and strike it again before other players catch it, which she played in her childhood.

Dandi Biyo has been Nepal’s unofficial national sport until Volleyball was declared officially on May 23, 2017.

Talent Finds Recognition

    Pratima Sherpa earns wide recognition

Pratima’s talent got due recognition from one of the coaches when she was learning the sport through juniors’ program run by the club.

The coach joined Pratima under his own wing for free and further appointed a member who introduced her to a set of old clubs.

Pratima continued her practice and eventually crossed various challenges that got her around 40 trophies, so far. But, she never relaxed and practices for at least two hours a day.

“Nepal is a smaller country than most, and playing golf can be difficult for poor families like ours. But I’ve got a big opportunity to play golf, and feel very proud and lucky that I’ve got that chance. I want to become a great golfer,” says Pratima.

From Kathmandu to Further Heights

Despite holding such a talent, Pratima had to struggle a lot for getting a passport to fly abroad to present her skill in the global arena.

Even though an American member of the club offered to adopt, Pratima never thought of leaving her parents.

Finally, with the help of her relations, she could get the passport and has recently travelled to the United States, where she stayed six weeks experiencing golf for the first time outside Nepal.

                          Pratima Sherpa (File Picture)

After being hosted by a Nepali software engineer, Pratima competed in five regional tournaments in California winning one of them and made it at top-6 in the two other matches.

A Hong Kong based sponsorship is also in offing for Pratima currently, which requires her to return to States and pursue golf classes at the California’s Santa Barbara City College.

Pratima, currently playing off a five golf handicap, loves to play for the Faldo Series China Championship, the tournament that hosted renowned Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy and  Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng.

“It’s really wonderful to see that the whole of Nepal has got excited about Pratima. They’re so proud of her and so supportive. She’s an amazing spokesperson, an amazing icon for Nepali golf and more generally for Nepal and Nepali women,” says Oliver Horovitz, a journalist, author and a golf caddy, who met Pratima at RNGC.

For the Country

Keeping aside key challenges in personal life (caring for family) and career passion, Pratima loves and finds her ability to balance both in a proper way.

In the process, she is also pursuing a four-year business studies course at Thames International College of Kathmandu.

“I can’t say how far my golf career will go. Ultimately, I want to become Nepal’s first female professional golfer,” says Pratima.

“Royal family is gone, we have a new government and there are more opportunities for women. There’s a Nepali proverb, Fruits of labor are always sweet, so now I’ve been given the opportunity to play golf I am going to try my hardest,” reads her latest statement.

Public supporters of Pratima have started www.teampratima.com to raise donations favoring Pratima’s career. This clearly shows the level of love and support Pratima has gained from Nepali society for her sincere efforts.

Pratima always wishes to give back to her nation.

“I want to develop golf in Nepal. I will give back to the Nepali golf community and will help underprivileged children enjoy the sport as I have,” she adds.

“Any competitive golfer that wants to be on the world stage is working hard. Not all of them have that joy for every single shot they hit. I thought that was a pretty striking difference from Pratima and other young players. She has an amazing opportunity to really influence a ton of kids over in Kathmandu. She’s inspiring a generation of kids over there,” says a renowned US’ Golf Coach Don Parsons.

 Golf in Nepal In Brief

Golf in Nepal took its actual form in 1917 when the then prime minister of the country introduced golf clubs following his Scotland trip and had also set up a basic course. However, the sport remained limited to the then Nepali elite families and expatriates for long until RNGC came up in 1965.

Apart from RNGC, which has 9 golf holes, Nepal has three other golf courses in the Kathmandu Valley (Gokarna Golf Course), Pokhara and Dharan.

Nepal’s golf community fear RNGC might get affected if the Government of Nepal’s supposed plans to expanding TIA are implemented.

Overall, Nepal has a total of four golf courses in contrast to hundreds of registered golf players.

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The Nepali U-16 cricket team registered a 133-run victory in the 50-over Group A match at Terdthai Cricket Ground, Bangkok on December 11, 2017.

The Nepali team, which won the toss and chose to bat, made a dashing start with its duo Kushal Malla and Rajan Magar making a 33-run partnership.

Even though the batting order suffered a little, it took a different turn with the entry of Trit Raj Das and the middle-order batsman Sunil Bhandari who stood for a 36-run partnership.

Das stood as the top scorer and the team set a 179-run target for the Thai team.

The Thai U-16 team, which started the second innings, suffered jolt by the outstanding bowling performance of Nepali bowler Narayan Joshi who claimed a total of five wickets.

Finally, the Thai team returned to pavilion in just 19.3 overs with 46-run score. Nepal will challenge Hong Kong in the second group match on December 12, 2017.

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The six-team city-based franchise league will be the country’s one of the most watchable sporting events, says Everest Premier League (EPL) Pvt Ltd., organizer of the event.

EPL made this statement as it informed about tournament updates on December 05, 2017.

“We have been working closely with international vendors who have experience of working in Indian Premier League. We can assure that TU grounds will get a completely different look for EPL,” reads a press statement by EPL Managing Director Aamir Akhtar.

Through this league, EPL is introducing third umpire system in the history of Nepali cricket, which is generally used for monitoring run outs and stumping. “We can only manage third umpire for run outs and stumpings,” informed Akhtar.

Akhtar further said that they are aiming at attracting as many spectators as possible to establish a good crowd culture in Nepal.

Former national cricket team Skipper and current Nepali U-19 team Coach Binod Das is acting as the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of EPL. Nepal can expect a lot from EPL, says Das.

“We are trying to make EPL the most watchable sporting event of the country not only in terms of television but also in terms of ground entertainment that crowd can get,” Das adds.

Highest-ever Cash Prize

The winner of the league will get a cash prize of Rs 2.5 million, the highest-ever cash prize provided by any Nepal’s domestic cricketing event so far.

Kathmandu Kings XI, Lalitpur Patriots, Chitwan Tigers, Biratnagar Warriors, Pokhara Rhinos and Bhairahawa Gladiators are the teams participating in the league.

While 10 Nepali players were selected through auction, EPL makes it mandatory for every team to have at least three international recruits and one player in the squad selected through the talent hunt.

Besides 15-member Marquee squad, Paras Khadka (Warriors), Gyanendra Malla (Patriots), Shakti Gauchan (Rhinos), Sompal Kami (Kings XI) and Sharad Vesawkar (Gladiators) are among six marquee players already announced.

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