The commencement of the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) in 2025 seems to be uncertain. This is because the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has been formally notified to temporarily suspend all activities related to the nation’s franchise T20 League.
The investigation continues from the complaints registered with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to find out what exactly happened and if any rules were breached during the inaugural season of NPL.
NPL 2024 Huge Popularity
Ahead of the first season in 2024, the league garnered huge attention at both the domestic and international level. The inaugural edition held between 29th November and 21st December 2024 glimpsed a massive fan base and viewership rate hoping to watch a high quality cricket tournament.
Apart from Janakpur Bolts being crowned as the inaugural season’s champions, the league saw overseas star cricketers participating in the tournament that includes the high-profile names of Shikhar Dhawan, Jimmy Neesham and Ben Cutting taking part in the tournament.
Starting Point of Controversy
Before the start of the NPL 2024, a complaint was raised on 22nd November 2024 outlining the chances of an illegal deal related to the league’s tender process.
Most importantly, the investigation was triggered upon filing a complaint before the league’s commencement. In simpler terms, the concern was mainly about how the league was organized in legal ways or who acquired the contract to operate it.
Two months after the league’s conclusion, a second complaint was raised, possibly about more suspicious activities. And in response to the new charges, the CIAA submitted a letter to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
A Petition Filed Before NPL 2024 Start
On behalf of Zora Sports Management, Amir Akhtar filed a petition to suspend the Nepal Premier League before the start of the first season itself. In his petition, Akhtar claimed that the CAN promised to allocate him the exclusive rights to run NPL for a 10-year contract, and wouldn’t be acceptable for another organization to run the league.
Later, Akhtar argued about the CAN’s unfair treatment and decided to appeal to the court, asking for justice.
Furthermore, he stated that he was not given any prior information about another company operating the league nor about the transfer rights to another firm. Despite being granted complete rights to organize the NPL and explained that the tournament should not be run by another company.
However, the CAN carried on with the preparations of NPL despite Akhtar warning the nation’s cricket board not to run the league without his approval. Nevertheless, the Nepal Cricket Association didn’t consider his warnings and started conducting player auctions where eight teams were proceeding with their preparations for the tournament by spending huge sum of money.
The controversy reached its peak level when Amir disclosed the fact that he had been operating the NPL under his name. Also, he claimed that the official registration includes his name, which means he legally owns or controls the league.
Strict Instructions to the CAN
Upon receiving multiple complaints, the National Sports Council (NSC) formed a committee to investigate the issues related to the Nepal Premier League.
Moreover, the CAN was formally instructed to hold all their plans for the second season of NPL until the investigation is completely resolved. So, it is understood that there are no chances of organizing, carrying out preparations, or making an announcement as everything is being put on pause.
As the investigations continue to grow, the committee expects a clear and instant response from the CAN about this issue.
CAN President Opens Up About NPL Season 2
The CAN president, Chatur Bahadur, revealed some important updates that all the issues related to the Nepal Premier League will be discussed during the board meeting that will be held at the end of July:
“YES! At the end of July, we will attend the board meeting. Before announcing anything publicly, we will discuss this issue in the meeting in detail. Additionally, we will reveal the details to the National Sports Council (NSC) and the government as well. Moreover, I don’t find any reasons to pause the second season of NPL,” Bahadur said.
Conclusion
Even after receiving such a great response and tremendous success of the inaugural season, the forthcoming second edition of the NPL witnesses a delay than expected due to the investigation process that has put the league’s progress on suspension.
Finally, it remains to be seen if the second season of the NPL in 2025 takes place, as it would be very challenging for the CAN to overcome all the controversies related to the tournament.
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