The player auction for the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket concluded on Saturday in Kathmandu.
Out of the list of 164 players in the auction, 37 players were contracted.
Various teams signed players according to their needs.
Following the auction, only the foreign player signings remain to be finalized. Here’s a brief look at how each team has shaped up:
Janakpur Bolts
Before the auction, Janakpur had retained seven players from the previous season, including their marquee and captain.
The retained players were marquee Aasif Sheikh, captain Anil Sah, Subash Khakurel, Kishore Mahato, Lalit Rajbanshi, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar, and Rupesh Singh.
From the auction, Janakpur signed Sachin Bhatt, Aditya Mehta, and Mayan Yadav, and from the wish list, they signed Bikash Agri.
Janakpur squad: Aasif Sheikh, Anil Sah, Subash Khakurel, Kishore Mahato, Lalit Rajbanshi, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar, Rupesh Singh, Sachin Bhatt, Aditya Mehta, Mayan Yadav, Bikash Agri
Sudurpaschim Royals
Last season’s runners-up, Sudurpaschim, retained last season’s marquee and captain Dipendra Singh Airee as their marquee player.
Along with him, Binod Bhandari, Aarif Sheikh, Avinash Bohara, Ishan Pandey, and Naren Saud were also retained.
From the auction, Sudurpaschim Royals signed Hemant Dhami, Tek Bahadur Rawat, and Dipesh Thapa, while from the wish list, they added Dipak Bohara and Milan Bohara.
Sudurpaschim squad: Dipendra Singh Airee, Binod Bhandari, Aarif Sheikh, Avinash Bohara, Ishan Pandey, Naren Saud, Hemant Dhami, Tek Bahadur Rawat, Dipesh Thapa, Dipak Bohara, Milan Bohara
Karnali Yaks
Last season’s third-placed team, which reached the second qualifier, retained marquee Sompal Kami along with Gulshan Jha, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Gharti, Dipendra Rawat, Bipin Prasad Sharma, and Unish Bikram Singh Thakuri.
From the auction, Karnali Yaks signed Pawan Sarraf, Imran Sheikh, Deepak Dumre, and Yuvraj Khatri.
Karnali squad: Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Gharti, Dipendra Rawat, Bipin Prasad Sharma, Unish Bikram Singh Thakuri, Pawan Sarraf, Imran Sheikh, Deepak Dumre, Yuvraj Khatri
Chitwan Rhinos
Chitwan, who lost to Karnali Yaks in the eliminator of the first edition and finished fourth, retained marquee player and captain Kushal Malla along with Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Deepak Bohara, Amar Singh Routela, and Gautam KC.
With the biggest purse in the auction, Chitwan signed Dev Khanal and Arjun Saud, while from the wish list, they signed Bipin Rawal, Bipin Acharya, and Ranjit Kumar.
Chitwan squad: Kushal Malla, Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Deepak Bohara, Amar Singh Routela, Gautam KC, Dev Khanal, Arjun Saud, Bipin Rawal, Bipin Acharya, Ranjit Kumar
Kathmandu Gorkhas
Finishing fifth in the first edition, Kathmandu retained marquee and captain Karan KC along with Bhim Sharki, Dipesh Kandel, Shahab Alam, Pratik Shrestha, and Rashid Khan.
From the auction, they signed Uttam Thapa Magar, Tul Bahadur Thapa, Santosh Yadav, Akash Tripathi, and Adil Alam.
Kathmandu squad: Karan KC, Bhim Sharki, Dipesh Kandel, Shahab Alam, Pratik Shrestha, Rashid Khan, Uttam Thapa Magar, Tul Bahadur Thapa, Santosh Yadav, Akash Tripathi, Adil Alam
Biratnagar Kings
Biratnagar, who finished sixth in the first season, retained star leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane along with Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Basir Ahmed, Naren Bhatt, and Subash Bhandari.
From the auction, they signed Surya Tamang, Sahil Patel, and Narayan Joshi, while from the wish list, they added Sharwan Kisku and Shankar Rana.
Biratnagar squad: Sandeep Lamichhane, Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Basir Ahmed, Naren Bhatt, Subash Bhandari, Surya Tamang, Sahil Patel, Narayan Joshi, Sharwan Kisku, Shankar Rana
Pokhara Avengers
Pokhara retained marquee Kushal Bhurtel along with seven players—Dinesh Kharel, Bipin Khatri, Sagar Dhakal, Kiran Thagunna, Akash Chand, and Tritraj Das.
From the auction, they signed Abhishek Tiwari, Arjun Kumal, and Krishna Paudel, while from the wish list, they added Sandeep Khatri Chhetri.
Pokhara squad: Kushal Bhurtel, Dinesh Kharel, Bipin Khatri, Sagar Dhakal, Kiran Thagunna, Akash Chand, Tritraj Das, Abhishek Tiwari, Arjun Kumal, Krishna Paudel, Sandeep Khatri Chhetri
Lumbini Lions
Lumbini retained last season’s marquee and captain Rohit Paudel along with Sundeep Jora, Bibek Yadav, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Abhishek Gautam, and Dinesh Adhikari.
From the auction, they signed Dilip Nath, Bishal Patel, and Sher Malla, while from the wish list, they added Durgesh Gupta and Adil Khan.
Lumbini squad: Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Jora, Bibek Yadav, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Abhishek Gautam, Dinesh Adhikari, Dilip Nath, Bishal Patel, Sher Malla, Durgesh Gupta, Adil Khan
