KATHMANDU: A total of 37 players have been contracted by eight franchises for the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2025, following a competitive player auction. The selections were made from among 164 shortlisted cricketers.
In the first round of the auction, 26 players were picked, while 11 others were later selected from team wishlists. Among them, four Grade ‘A’ players—Dev Khanal, Arjun Saud, Adil Alam, and Pawan Sarraf—attracted the highest bids, each fetching the maximum price of Rs 1.5 million.
Due to multiple franchises bidding for them, their final allocation was determined through a lucky draw. Khanal and Saud will represent the Chitwan Rhinos, Alam will play for the Kathmandu Gurkhas, while Sarraf has been signed by the Karnali Yaks.
Other players who fetched Rs 1 million include Dilip Nath and Sher Malla, both auctioned by the Lumbini Lions; Hemant Dhami, picked by the Sudurpaschim Royals; Surya Tamang, selected by the Biratnagar Kings; Santosh Yadav, signed by the Kathmandu Gurkhas; and Yuvraj Khatri, contracted by the Karnali Yaks.
Mayan Yadav was auctioned by the Janakpur Bolts for Rs 775,000, while Akash Tripathi was contracted by the Kathmandu Gurkhas for Rs 700,000. Narayan Joshi and Sahil Patil were picked by the Biratnagar Kings; Arjun Kumal was signed by the Pokhara Avengers; Bishal Patel joined the Lumbini Lions; and Aditya Mehata was contracted by the Janakpur Bolts. Each of these players fetched Rs 500,000.
Several players were contracted for Rs 200,000. Tek Bahadur Rawat and Dipendra Thapa were signed by the Sudurpaschim Royals; Abhishek Tiwari and Krishna Poudel joined the Pokhara Avengers; Sachin Bhattarai went to the Janakpur Bolts; Tul Bahadur Thapa signed with the Kathmandu Gurkhas; and Imran Sheikh and Deepak Dumre were picked by the Karnali Yaks.
According to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), a total of 458 players had initially registered their names for the auction.
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