• Sandhya Ghimire

Not since Prithvi Narayan Shah’s unification of Nepal, which changed the landscape of Nepal’s destiny forever, has any sport reached so many and achieved so much. Cricket is the binding force that congregates each Nepali supporter under a single banner of national unity in a nation often weary of deep regional and political divides. Transcending ethnicity, tradition, race, and even geography, cricket is a common language fluent for all Nepali citizens and diaspora. In fact, the overwhelming support and passion of Nepali cricket fans around the world have given impetus to forge a new nationality that goes beyond Everest and Buddha to herald Nepal as the ‘Land of Cricket Enthusiasts’. Enter Exhibit-A when the famous commentator, Ian Bishop, was surprised to see Grand Prairie Stadium drenched in colors of blue, white, and red (mind you, not representing the USA but Nepal). As for Exhibit B, we’ve all seen scenes of fans perched atop tree branches at TU cricket stadium that virtually broke the internet!

From a time when there weren’t enough men to form a Playing XI to establishing itself as the most bankable sport in Nepal, attracting numerous international sponsorships and participation, cricket has come a long way. It has been an excruciating climb up the Mount Rushmore of cricket, where England, Australia, West Indies, and India have already cemented their places. Decades of generational struggles later, our unique triangular flag representing Nepalese cricket has been planted, which is evidently visible from Mars and the Moon.

The franchise tournament, Nepal Premier League (NPL), is a testament to the aforementioned statement as its first season was graced by the countenance of Martin Guptill, Jimmy Neesham, Chris Lynn, Will Bossisto, Saif Zaib, Shikhar Dhawan, and the like. This reservoir of experience was not only retained in the second season of NPL, but the revenue, broadcasting, ticket sales, and a host of foreign players and commentators went off the charts. Kathmandu touchdown witnessed Aakash Chopra, Mikkhail Vaswani, Jess Crowe, HD Ackerman, Carlos Brathwait,e and Andrew Leonard (the Kirkpatrick of Nepali cricket, who by the way, should be granted an honorary citizenship).

Players follow where passion grows, and the passion and fanaticism roped in South Africa’s formidable player, Faf du Plessis. Besides that, a talent hunt across all provinces of Nepal featured the crème de la crème of grassroots-level cricket, such as Sher Malla, Rashid Khan, Santosh Yadav, Abhishesh Gautam, and  Rijan Dhakal. Intermittently placed alongside were staple names of our national cricket team- Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, and Sandeep Lamichhane. Each of these players, together with the fans and the fervor, orchestrated a month-long ball-dance (pun intended) to the tunes of ‘Festival of Himalayas’.

This unimaginable feat was made possible by the joint endeavor of the Nepal government and the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), which for the first time erected floodlights, a parapet, anda speedometer. However, at the helm of it all are the pioneers of Nepal cricket-Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan, Subash Khakurel, Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Sompal Kami, who kept the fiery passion for cricket unextinguished and passed on the torch further. Their relentless effort has helped cricket secure a position from merely a sport to an effective tool in the diplomatic arsenal of Nepal.

Beyond socio-cultural relations, Nepal and India are venturing into sports diplomacy in full swing.

In the year 2024, the External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, personally visited national team members to congratulate them on qualifying for the 2024 T20 World Cup and ensured support for Nepali cricket. Additionally, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited Nepal’s national cricket team to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for a training camp in August last year. The NCA—formerly a training hub for cricket legends hosted a 20-member Nepali squad for a two-week camp. Similarly, BCCI also aided the women’s cricket team ahead of the Women’s World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025.

While their generosity—in cash and in kind—has assisted Nepali cricket and its team, it is imperative that Nepal not let overdependence get the best of them. Moreover, Nepal should actively seek collaboration with other cricket teams, both within the subcontinent and beyond. Friendly bilateral and trilateral series with various countries around the world enhance the competitive mindset of our players and foster relations through sports diplomacy. By establishing ourselves as the ‘neutral hub,’ we could host a series of tournaments, such as India-Pakistan Women’s or U-19 series, or tournaments akin to the 1999 Tempo World Legends Cup.

CAN, along with the government, should hold regular talks with ICC for grooming our players, pitches, and umpires. Regular engagement and interaction between the ICC and our players would prove to be valuable, especially at a critical juncture when our endeavors are towards ascension from an Associate nation. As the trajectory of cricket finds new heights, all eyes are on Nepali players; as for us, we are eyeing to playthe longer format of cricket, i.e., red-ball. The vision board of CAN should ideally illustrate a permanent ODI status and timely matches with test-playing nations, often on our own turf at TU.

Furthermore, CAN should partner with all of the provincial cricket associations (yes, it’s a lesser-known fact) to fortify local cricket grounds, improve their infrastructure, train the players, and expand domestic leagues (e.g., Mulpani and Biratnagar, which already fall under National Pride Projects). The idea is to chalk out a long-term blueprint for cricket with clear, measurable goals instead of cashing in on seasonal tournaments and foreign support. A steady partnership among the Government of Nepal, ICC, CAN, and provincial cricket associations can holistically pivot the shape of Nepali cricket.

Unfortunately for us, sports are gendered, and while men’s cricket gets overwhelming attention, women’s cricket is often overshadowed. However, the initiative of Janakpur Bolts to appoint the vice-captain of the women’s cricket team, Puja Mahato, as their brand ambassador for two consecutive seasons was appreciated. The stakeholders should be mindful to degenderize sports to escalate the viewership and visibility of women’s cricket. Who knows, we might just launch an all-women NPL further down the line? Only the future can tell, but what we are certain of is that cricket is the heart of our nationality, and the ‘cardiac kids,’ along with fans and fervor, pump blood, sweat, and unforgettable drama into each innings.