Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Monday unveiled four among six franchises of the Nepal T20, the first ever official franchise cricket tournament organised by the cricket governing body of the country, amid a function in Kathmandu.

The franchises revealed at the function are Kantipur Capital belonging to Kantipur Media Group, All Star Sports owned by All-Star Sports Inc, Gold Sports Private Limited of Gold Sports Foundation, and Diamond Digicap Sports Pvt Ltd. The tournament is set to take place from September 24 to October 22 at TU grounds, Kirtipur.

The remaining two franchises were not disclosed as per the request of the owners. "The owners of the two franchises were not available in the capital and we are unable to disclose their identity now," CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand said. “They will be introduced in a few days."

Mahesh Swar was revealed as the owner of Kantipur Capital, the only team owned by Nepali franchise among four, which will be based in Kathmandu. The All Star Sports is based in Texas, USA and owned by Sanjay Sharma. It is managed by a group of cricket enthusiasts as well as former cricketers who played national level cricket in Nepal. The team will be located in Lumbini and Bhairahawa.

Gold Sports Foundation is a sports institution based in Rajasthan, India and is owned by Gouri Shankar Dhamani. The franchise will be located in Janakpur. Diamond Digicap Sports is involved in the gems and jewellery business. The team will be located in Biratnagar and owned by Vikram Yadav.

"The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already sanctioned the event and approved the date after we sent them the details of all six franchises and their owners," said Chand.

Regarding the writ petition filed at the Supreme Court against Nepal T20 by Everest Premier League Pvt Ltd, the organiser of the EPL T20, Chand said: "EPL have filed a writ to stop this event. The court had asked for a show cause order and we have furnished written clarification. The court has not given a stay order. So we continued the process to start the event."

CAN has already roped in Seven3Sports, an Indian sports management company, as commercial and strategic partner of Nepal T20 for eight years.

CAN Secretary Prashant Bikram Malla, also the director of the Nepal T20’s governing council, said that the cricket governing body and the council have been working on the framework of players' draft and other technical aspects.

"The franchises were selected after open announcement and bidding," Malla said. "The world will now witness our own franchise league."

Furnishing clarification for choosing overseas franchises, Malla said: "Many T20 leagues across the globe have recruited foreign investors as per their requirements. It is just the matter of serving and developing the game. We welcome those franchises who serve the interest of Nepali cricket."

Former Indian cricketer Ashok Malhotra, who also attended the unveiling programme, said that the event will uplift the standard of Nepali cricketers and provide a bigger pool of players for the national team. "Nepali cricket is moving in the right direction. Playing against quality foreigners could be a good learning curve for Nepali players as it provides opportunities for a large number of homegrown talents. It will gradually help in the growth of cricket, but it takes time," he said.

Speaking at the function, Sanjay Sharma of All-Star Sports said that his group was proud to be associated with Nepal T20.

Kantipur Capital's Mahesh Swar said his organisation has been supporting cricket for a long time. "Our ambition is to take Nepali cricket to the next level," he said.