Nepal T20 League, the country’s first ever official franchise tournament to be organised by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), has been postponed until December 2022 as per the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the cricket governing body said on Wednesday.

The franchise league was scheduled to take place from September 24 to October 22, before the Federal and Provincial elections set to be held on November 20.

CAN decided to postpone the competition after the ministry issued an order to reschedule the dates.

“Since various programmes will be taking place for the upcoming House of Representative and Provincial Assembly elections, it is requested as per the order to conduct the league after the elections,” the ministry wrote to the cricket governing body.

CAN had requested the ministry for necessary security arrangements in the cricket ground and hotels where players would be staying.

“The advisory has been received regarding the security arrangements for elections in the middle of the Nepal T20 League. Such a large contingent of overseas players requires extensive security and safety arrangements,” CAN said in a press release.

“This is a very crucial event for Nepal which promises to be the largest carnival of T20 cricket and foreign tourism. We at Cricket Association of Nepal take players’ safety and security very seriously. Therefore, we comply with the advisory and postpone the T20 league to the proposed dates of December 11 till December 31, 2022.”

The maiden edition of the tournament has also faced criticism for scheduling its fixtures in the midst of Nepal’s main festival Dashain, which falls between September 26 and October 9.

Nepal T20 concluded its two-day long players draft on Sunday with 33 overseas players confirming their participation. Six franchise teams Kathmandu Gurkhas, Pokhara Avengers, Biratnagar Super Kings, Janakpur Royals, Lumbini All Stars and Far-western United are set to participate in the competition.