Kathmandu, June 12
Nepal cricket’s head coach Jagat Tamatta says Nepali cricketers will not take part in the Asian Premier League, a T20 tournament being organised by a private company, in Kathmandu.
Tamatta told Onlinekhabar that he was not officially informed about the tournament. “We will not allow our players to play in the tournament if it does not get approval from the International Cricket Council.”
The Asian Premier League is being organised by Ultimate Sports Management in association with Nepal’s National Sports Council. USM organised a programme to launch the tournament in Kathmandu on Sunday.
According to USM, six teams are to take part in the tournament, which will feature ‘Nepal Storm’ as one of the sides. However, Swapnil Patil from the UAE has been named the squad’s skipper. USM has also not made public the list of Nepali players who will play in the tournament.
The company claims that at least one U-19 player will get a chance to play for each team of the tournament. But the Nepali U-19 team members are in a closed camp to prepare for the U-19 World Cup Qualifiers. “That is why we cannot release the U-19 players also,” said Tamatta.
Tamatta added that players who participate in the tournament are at risk of an ICC ban as it is being organised without following proper legal procedures.
Players who took part in Zee TV’s Indian Cricket League faced similar action from the ICC as the tournament was not sanctioned by the BCCI.
