Since its inaugural season, the Nepal Premier League has fulfilled a long-held dream for local fans—watching global cricket stars perform right at the home of Nepali cricket. Beyond the boundary ropes of Kirtipur, these international icons have been equally captivated by Nepal itself.

With the tournament’s third edition drawing global icons—from Australian opener David Warner to South Africa’s David Miller, West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell, and Bangladeshi star Shakib Al Hasan—the league has also served as an informal tourism showcase. Between high-pressure fixtures under the floodlights, visiting cricketers have traded their team jerseys for casual wear to explore Kathmandu Valley and beyond.

“What an experience. Woo!” Warner said in a selfie video, from the snow-capped mountains, he uploaded on his social media on November 4. The video has 477,000+ reactions on Warner’s Instagram.

He had taken a helicopter ride to the mountains and even had breakfast, watching the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest.

Warner, who landed in Kathmandu on November 1, played his first match for Kathmandu Gorkhas on November 2—departing for only 16 runs against Karnali Yaks. Upon his return from the mountains, Warner smashed 44 against Biratnagar Kings and 66 against Lumbini Lions. While he could only manage a single in his last match of the season—against Chitwan on November 9—Warner helped his team win all four matches he featured and took the Gorkhas to the top of the points table before leaving.

“Nepal, you have absolutely blown me away,” Warner wrote on his Instagram on Thursday. “From the incredible hospitality to the passion for cricket, the breathtaking scenery and, most importantly, the beautiful people, this has been an experience I’ll never forget.”

“Thank you for welcoming me with open arms,” Warner, who has won the World Cups across the three formats of the game, added as he shared a reel of photos and videos he captured in the country. “Until next time, Nepal!”

Other overseas players from Kathmandu Gorkhas also reached the mountains. Jahandad Khan had posted photos of him and his teammates with Mount Everest as the backdrop. 

“Foreign players do their research before going to a foreign country. So had Warner. He was aware of Mount Everest and we too wanted to take him there,” said Shrawan Bahadur Singh, operations head of Kathmandu. “We were also aiming to promote Nepal through Warner, whose one social media post works a lot.”

And it seems the mountains did play an extra role in making Warner say that he will return the next season as well.

“Warner was extremely happy after returning from the mountains,” said Singh. “He has even promised to come back next season. He said that he played in countries throughout the world, but none were as beautiful as Nepal.”

But not all of the 50+ overseas players signed by the eight franchises got the opportunity to land in between the snowy mountains. Many had to have a look from far, but they enjoyed it too.

For instance, Russell, the Caribbean all-rounder, was glad that he got a hotel room from where he could see Mount Everest. 

“Apart from the results, I love Nepal,” Russell said in a video by the Kings. “I can say it is such a peaceful place. The people are beautiful, warm and welcoming. They are not too much in my face. They are chill. They kind of give me a bit of Caribbean vibes. And they love their cricket.”

Similarly, Chitwan Rhinos squad, including world’s No 1 T20I all-rounder Sikandar Raza, also had a night out in Nagarkot. Lumbini also took their squad to Kulekhani. Karnali went to Lele.

Several players have shared their experience in Nepal through social media, post-match presentations, pre-match press conferences and other meet and greet events.

Shakib Al Hasan had shared a video of the view of the Kathmandu Valley from Godawari, Lalitpur, on October 31. Hasan was accompanied by the whole Pokhara squad.

Likewise, the NPL also saw other legends grace the tournament as guests. Shoaib Akhtar, the legendary Pakistani pacer, came as the guest of Himalaya Sports, while Irfan Pathan, the legendary Indian pacer who is an ambassador of Pokhara Avengers, graced the TU Ground on Thursday. Both, Akhtar and Pathan, shared that they loved Nepal.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the state-run national tourism organisation, has also shared the moments of global cricket icons’ visit to Nepal.

On November 3 and 4, the NTB shared photos of Warner and Russell in action at TU Ground, respectively.

“When cricket brings global sporting icons to Nepal, it creates more than excitement on the field,” the NTB wrote while posting Warner’s photos. “It brings people, cultures and countries closer, while giving the world another reason to discover Nepal.”

Likewise, sharing Russell’s photos, the NTB wrote, “Nepal is more than a sporting destination. It is an experience worth coming back for.”

Some players, including Jimmy Neesham and Miller, have also enjoyed playing golf in Kathmandu.

Speaking at a get-together by the Cricket Association of Nepal, in coordination with alcohol products, Neesham had shared that he enjoyed the golf course in Gokarneshwar.

Miller also said that he had a good time on the golf course.

“Nepal has been fantastic so far,” Miller, who was captaining Karnali, said during the toss on Thursday. “The people have been amazing and the support from the crowd at the ground has been brilliant.”

Miller added, “The scenery around the golf course is beautiful. The team has been great, so I have really enjoyed my time here so far.”