Nepal Premier League Gets ICC Sanction For Third Edition

The Nepal Premier League has its ICC sanction. Cricket Association of Nepal confirmed it on Friday. The International Cricket Council has formally approved the league's third edition, which runs from 26 October to 21 November at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. The approval landed nine days before the first ball.

CAN had been waiting on it for weeks. Secretary Paras Khadka told NPL Media Day he had been checking his email for the confirmation. "I believe it will be decided soon," he said at the time. CAN thanked the ICC for its cooperation in establishing the league on a wider stage.

Overseas signings held back until Friday

Franchises had been talking to international players. They held their announcements back until the sanction arrived, Pardafas reported. Online Khabar reports that official T20 status lifts the ceiling on overseas recruitment. Each franchise had previously been able to sign up to four players from Test-playing nations for a single edition.

That changes the market inside nine days. Squads were already built around a capped number of imports. The remaining slots now open up with the tournament almost on top of them.

Eight franchises, 32 matches in Kirtipur

• Biratnagar Kings
• Chitwan Rhinos
• Janakpur Bolts
• Karnali Yaks
• Kathmandu Gorkhas
• Lumbini Lions
• Pokhara Avengers
• Sudurpaschim Royals

The eight teams play 28 league matches. Four playoff games follow. Every game is at the same Kirtipur ground. Qualifier 1 is on 17 November and the final on 21 November. Lumbini Lions and Sudurpaschim Royals met in last season's final.

DRS arrives with a shared bill

CAN plans to use the Decision Review System. It would be a first for the NPL. Khadka put the cost at Rs 15 to 20 million, split between CAN and the eight franchises and offset against commercial media rights revenue, Pardafas reported. Reviews could add up to half an hour to a match.

Start times may move earlier as a result, with cold and dew in Kathmandu also weighing on the decision. In September, Khadka said CAN had tested systems from two companies. "If the technology is found to be reliable, we can start DRS from this edition," he said then.

Career records still unsettled

One thing the sanction does not settle is the status of NPL performances in players' official T20 career records. That call sits elsewhere. Runs and wickets from the first two editions do not appear in those records. Khadka said in September that the league could end up with List A or T20 status, depending on how it is classified.

Playoffs overlap the Asia Conference

The closing week runs into the ICC Asia Conference, which Nepal hosts in Kathmandu from 17 to 21 November, according to Pardafas. The two events share the same five days. CAN will be running a sanctioned franchise league and an ICC regional meeting at once.