Nepal Super League, Nepal Premier League, Nepal Volleyball League, Everest Women’s Volleyball League, and Nepal Kabaddi League are some of the franchise leagues of various sports in Nepal.
A few years ago, the Nepali sports fraternity was relatively passive, with only a limited number of sporting events. But lately, things have changed as various franchise leagues have been taking place. The private sector has started investing in it and the players also earn well from those franchise leagues.
Such leagues have not only attracted foreign players to Nepal but have also opened avenues for Nepali players on global platforms. The recently concluded Nepal Premier League stands as a testament to this.
NPL witnessed Indian star cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and 16-year-old Bipin Sharma, who was selected from a talent hunt, play together in the same team. The league was broadcast on Star Sports, showcasing Nepali talents globally. NPL gathered people from different walks of life, engaging everyone in cricket.
Shortly after the conclusion of the NPL, the date for the Nepal Volleyball League was announced. Six teams will participate in it and foreign players will also be participating in it. Earlier in August Everest Women’s Volleyball League took place. According to the organisers, It was the first women’s volleyball league in Asia.
Besides cricket and volleyball, franchise leagues for other sports are also taking place. The franchise league for kabaddi is happening for the first time, with the Nepal Kabaddi League scheduled for January. Similarly, the franchise of the Football League, Nepal Super League, is also happening. The organiser Nepal Sports and Event Management has stated that the third edition of the Nepal Super League will kick off in March.
Kabbadi will be the fourth sport in Nepal to have a franchise league. The happening and announcement of four different franchise leagues in Nepal’s sports fraternity is a rare and noteworthy development. When the International Cricket Council suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal, three franchise leagues were organised namely, Everest Premier League, Dhangadi Premier League and Pokhara Premier League. To some extent, all of the leagues helped in the growth of the Nepali cricket scene. Among all the franchise cricket leagues, the NPL has garnered the most popularity.
Paras Khadka, the Secretary of CAN and the coordinator of the NPL Governing Council, described the league as an “unbelievable edition.”
“The Tribhuwan University International Cricket Ground saw some amazing moments during the league, ” says Khadka. “The next edition will be more challenging but the future is bright. The next edition will be bigger and better.”
NSL keeping football active
Even before COVID-19, Nepal’s football sector was relatively inactive, with only a few tournaments taking place. Except in some years, Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League has been taking place for the last seven decades. B and C divisions were also happening regularly. With that, C division qualifiers, District league and Provincial league were also taking place.
Post-covid, the ‘A’ Division League has not been held regularly. Its latest edition was organized in 2023. The league did not take place last year, and it is not happening this year either. Due to the lack of regular matches, the performance of national players has been affected. To uplift the status of football, the Nepal Super League was organised amid the covid.
The first edition of the league drew controversy and it did not continue the next year. However, last year, the second edition was organised and now the organisers are preparing for the third edition. According to the organisers, the third edition of the Nepal Super League will begin on March 29.
Volleyball franchise league for male and female
Lately, the craze of volleyball has increased notably due to which the sport also saw a franchise league. The organiser of NSL made an agreement to host Nepal Super League Volleyball. The agreement was withdrawn as the league could not take place.
However, in 2024 the women’s league was organised and in 2025 the men’s league will be organised. Infinity Dreams organised the first-ever women’s volleyball league in August which featured six teams. Similarly, the Kedia Group has announced to organise the men’s volleyball league in March.
Emergence of Kabaddi League
Last year, the All Nepal Kabaddi Association did an agreement with Astronic Event Management Company to host a franchise kabaddi league Nepal Kabaddi League.
The first edition of NKL will begin from January 17 to February 1. The league will also have foreign players. It is assumed that a single team will invest at least Rs 10 million. According to the association, preparation of the women’s kabaddi league is also ongoing.
“Kabaddi was once a national game of Nepal. With a motive to revive the popularity of kabaddi we are organising this league,” says Arvinda Jha, General Secretary of the association.
Benefits of franchise league
It is assumed that the transaction of around Rs 1 billion has been made in the recently concluded NPL. The participating team of the franchise have said that the league has increased their brand value. Each team has spent Rs 50 million to 100 million.
The players gained significant benefits from the NPL, as they had the opportunity to play alongside globally recognised star cricketers and emerging talents. And they also earned a good amount from the league. Economically as well, the league stood strong. Players like Shikhar Dhawan, Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill, Jimi Nisam and Ben Cutting shared the same pitch.
Possibility of continuity
All the franchise leagues aim to commercialise the sports sector, where corporate houses would invest and players will be benefited financially. Similarly, alongside the sports sector such leagues will also develop other sectors too.
However, the biggest challenge for all of them is sustaining these leagues in the long term, especially in a country like Nepal, where there are limited human resources and investors. All the associations have entered agreements with the franchise leagues with the aim of making them sustainable. The franchise owners are aware that they will not earn a profit in the initial years.
