Pokhara Rhinos, one of the six franchises of the Everest Premier League, has bolstered its squad with the inclusion of Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer.

The EPL, one of the most successful city-based franchise Twenty20 cricket tournaments of the country, is starts from December 8 to 22 at the Tribhuvan University Stadium. The veteran opener is the most successful cricketer of Scotland and has a peculiar record of becoming the batsman from Associate countries with highest individual score.

Coetzer slammed 156 runs against Bangladesh during the 2015 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Coetzer has played 50 One Day Internationals, 45 Twenty20 Internationals, 94 First Class matches and 157 List A Games. Coetzer said he was very much willing to play with Nepali cricketers.

“We (Scotland and Nepal) had an interesting and a highly competitive match at the qualifiers earlier this year in Zimbabwe. Ever since the match, I have wanted to play with players of the Nepalese national team. I want to thank Pokhara Rhinos for the wonderful opportunity and look forward to play in Nepal,” Coetzer said in a statement.

Deepa Agrawal, Managing Director of Jagdamba Sports – parent company of Pokhara Rhinos – said Coetzer was a brilliant addition to the team. “Scotland and Nepal have played before, and Coetzer has a good rapport with the Nepalese players. I look forward to watch him play at Kirtipur in December,” she said.

Rhinos is captained by retired national team veteran left-arm spinner Shakti Gauchan. The team had finished fourth in the previous edition losing to Lalitpur Patriots in the Eliminator. According to EPL regulation, each franchise needs to include three foreign recruits in its squad. Rhinos is yet to reveal two more international recruits.