Dhangadhi Cricket Academy (DCA) on Tuesday said it will now move ahead in organising the Dhangadhi Premier League (DPL) Twenty20 in “home & away” format and run the tournament under floodlights.

DPL, the highest cash prized cricket tournament of the country that gave away champions Team Chauraha Dhangadhi a whooping cash prize of Rs 2.5 million, completed its second edition on April 13 including foreign recruits for the first time in the tournament. The organisers said they are now looking forward to make the third edition even better.

“The second edition was a huge success for us. Now all our focus will be on the third edition and check for the viability whether we can run this tournament under lights or not and that too in a home and away format,” said DCA Chairman Subash Bahadur Shahi during a press conference here on Tuesday.

“We tried out e-ticketing, digital scoreboard, large LED screens, replay and third umpire. And to top with that was Rs 10 million transaction between players and owners. To get a tournament of this kind in this part of Nepal is massive for us,” said Shahi.

Shahi further added that the success of DPL has put pressure on the government to prepare an international standard stadium in Fapla which has already hosted national level tournaments but is yet to get a shape of a proper playing field.

Shahi has been leading a Dream Fapla campaign, supported by the city residents and stake holders, a common dream of the people of Dhangadhi, but without proper policy, hardly any work has been done.

“We have already provided government with the complete model of an international stadium that we have dreamed in Fapla. Our target is to get the work complete in 2020 and the government has to give a close attention to the project,” Shahi said adding the tournament has boosted the financial activities in the area.

“We have noticed a flow of huge amount of people to watch the tournament, from the surrounding localities and bordering areas. During the 15-day duration of the tournament, it saw financial activities of around Rs 1000 million,” claimed Shahi furnishing the income and expenses of the tournament.

“To run and manage the tournament, it took us about Rs 30.12 million. While organisers DCA invested Rs 700,000, rest of the amount was managed through sponsors and ticket sales,” said Shahi. “The bottom line for us is that if we get to bring a tournament of this magnitude, it will be an allround boost for Dhangadhi. Talking about loss is a secondary thing,” he said.