Fortunes changed dramatically at the recently concluded Nepal Premier League (NPL). This was the second edition of the eight-franchise tournament, which took place from November 17 to December 13 at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Stadium, which, too, went through a massive transformation as it was only a ground until last year. In last year’s inaugural championship, the Janakpur Bolts prevailed over the Sudurpaschim Royals in the final, with the Lumbini Lions finishing at the bottom of the group matches with one win out of the seven they played. This year, the Lions lifted the trophy by defeating the Royals in the final, while the Bolts finished at the bottom of the group stage with only one victory.

The real winners were the fans, the game of cricket and Nepal. Last year, cricket lovers turned up in thousands to sit on grass and root for their teams under sunlight, as the 22-day affair resulted in ticket sales worth Rs150 million. This year, there were seating arrangements, and most matches were played under floodlights. Ticket sales this year are said to have brought in Rs400 million. Nepali fans draw accolades the world over for their enthusiastic support for the national team, showing up everywhere—from England to the United States to the United Arab Emirates. Star Sports, the NPL’s official broadcaster, put this year’s viewership at 200 million, putting to rest doubters’ claims that cricket has no future in Nepal.

Last year, the franchises—Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Bolts, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gorkhas, Lions, Pokhara Avengers and Royals—spent Rs80 million to Rs100 million each. They probably invested in the same ballpark this year, with decent odds that their revenue base went up. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the sport’s governing body in Nepal, keeps 50 percent of its earnings to itself and distributes the rest among the franchisees; under this arrangement, the teams received Rs5.4 million each last year. This year, the introduction of OTT streaming must have helped widen the tournament’s reach. The franchises also did a better job of selling real estate on team jerseys to local sponsors.

Local batters fall short, bowlers shine

The teams can—and need to—do more. The franchises need to sustain themselves financially because, apart from the love for the game, they are in it for money. Merchandising is a real possibility, and for that, the teams need to be able to create a fan base. The only franchise that is miles ahead of the pack is the Royals, whose fans—donned in the yellow—show intense passion and untiring loyalty. There were instances of Royals fans reserving buses and arriving here from Mahendranagar. The tournament was held in Kathmandu, and there were hardly any Gorkhas fans—relatively—in the stadium. Growing a fan base from nothing and turning it into a community requires passion from team management.

It has been merely two editions, but it is crystal clear that the NPL as a brand has real potential. Sports tourism using cricket is a goal worthy of pursuing. More than three dozen international players took part this year. Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Marchant de Lange (South Africa) and Faf du Plessis (South Africa) made a helicopter tour of the Sagarmatha region and posted photos of snow-packed mountains on social media. The images of presenter Jesse Crowe wrapped in a saree and commentator Andrew Leonard in a daura suruwal are probably more effective than running a TV ad for Nepal. Or take the image of Will Bosisto (Australia) saying goodbye at the airport with a Nepali flag over his shoulders.

Also winning were the domestic players simply because the NPL gives them an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best in the game, with quite a few having represented their respective countries. This is particularly important as there is an acute shortage of decent domestic tournaments for Nepali cricketers to get exposure. It is only a handful of national players who get to play on foreign soil and get exposed to different conditions and different levels of play. The eight teams each are allowed a maximum of six international players, of which four can make it to the playing 11; the successful completion of two editions should inspire more established players to try their NPL luck.

Invest in infrastructure

Performance-wise, although Rohit Poudel (Lions) and Binod Bhandari (Royals) were the second and third top run getters, Nepali batters for the most part came up short, while spin bowlers stole the limelight. The top three bowlers—Sandeep Lamichhane (Kings), Abinash Bohara (Royals) and Sher Malla (Lions)—were all Nepalis. Thus, it was nice to see Nepali batters getting a taste of pacers like Scott Kuggeleijn (New Zealand) and Marchant de Lange. In the February 6-March 8 T20 World Cup, where Nepal is paired with England, Bangladesh, Italy and the West Indies, seamers routinely bowl at 130 km/h-140 km/h. Leading Nepali seamers operate at average speeds of between 120 km/h and 130 km/h, with occasional 135 km/h.

It is no surprise that Nepali batters handle spin better than seam. Local players also seemed to struggle to adjust to the floodlights. Speaking of which, the previous government under KP Sharma Oli deserves kudos for the speedy construction of a 10,000-seating-capacity parapet and six floodlights. There is more work to be done still—both at Tribhuvan University stadium and elsewhere. Without proper infrastructure in place, no teams/players of repute would want to come and play in Nepal. Progress is slow at the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium being built in Chitwan, not to mention the Mulpani Cricket Stadium in Kathmandu. Ideally, Nepal can offer itself as a neutral venue for teams like India and Pakistan.

Deep down, building infrastructure should be viewed as an investment, not spending. The same is true with money spent on cricket academies and tournaments—be it on a school to college to a club level. This is where a stream of new talent will begin to emerge. It is equally important for the selectors to be mindful of not nipping a budding player in the bud. Hemanta Dhami, as a young Royals pacer, demonstrated a lot of promise but was left out of the 24-player training squad for the upcoming World Cup. Malla, a spinner (and a Bolts last year), was another rightful name, and he made it to the 24; he deserves to be in the playing 11. That said, it is equally prudent not to make drastic changes to the team in a contest like this.