The Nepali city of Biratnagar is all set to into a frenzy, as the hosting Biratnagar Kings set the stage to create history in the first match of the Nepal Premier League(NPL) slated for November 30. As a result of this new phase in the history of Nepali cricket, Kings will play the home games against Janakpur Bolts TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. This much-awaited tournament has elicited enormous interest among every cricket lover in the country, as eight franchise teams are set to compete for the championship in the now inaugural professional T20 league in the nation.
The NPL has brought with it a new generation of Nepali cricket as it is conducted under the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Correspondingly, the potential of the tournament aspires to introduce new talents from Indonesia to the field as well as practice matches for international players. The Biratnagar Kings are the flag bearers of industrialised east Nepal and now they have east Nepal’s eager spectators backing them up for this new and interesting endeavor.
Days before the opening match, people of Biratnagar have painted their buildings in support of their teams and have hung posters of their favorite local players. He said that common people including sports lovers, families, children, youths and elders of both the teams are actively involved in discussing about the probable strategies as well as best players of the respective teams ‘saying that they are all waiting to witness the event of occurrence of the Kirtipur Cricket Team in their living area firsthand’. The management of the Kings has been applying much effort to prepare the team for the pending competition; there were many training sessions and simulated games before the tournament.
The NPL format gives a lot of activity in each match day, with teams playing in a single round-robin tournament before the two-of-the-four teams going to playoffs. For Biratnagar Kings, victory in the match against the Janakpur Bolts could be their course of their whole tournament. The coaching staff of the team has stressed upon consistency and ability to think of mental strength since T20’s are mean to have tensed finish and therefore competitive areas come into picture here and there.
This young team now has the support of businesses within Biratnagar, who are offering various discounts and even places where the fans can watch the games if they cannot attend the matches. The fact is that, through the support of increased interest and tourists in the city, the economic effect of NPL on the city will be impressive. Many hotels, restaurants, and sports bars are preparing themselves for such an upsurge of visitors and therefore pumping up the atmosphere all round week long throughout the tournament period.
The players selected in the BKT are all premier talents and innovative youth who form a team that is fit for confrontation at the apex of Nepalese football. The official formation of the full team has not been made known to the public, and as such there are rumors rife on who might be the star signing the nation gets to see and which locals might get a chance to experience big league play. The team management has not discussed or released their final 11 which has created build up for the first match more suspense.
With the NPL opener just around the corner cricket stakeholders and cricket lovers are hopeful that the tournament will help aid the development of cricket in Nepal. This growth of the Biratnagar Kings and their counterparts may help in gaining more investment on cricket and infrastructure and youth development programs all over the country. While the hope of the cricketing nation rests in the four teams, the weight of the expectation rests with the teams performing well enough to give the world a good show in Nepal.
The atmosphere in Biratnagar is electric, where Kings has gained a lot of followership, leaders and celebrities from the community included. Bearing in mind, fan clubs have held rallies and support –oriented events that have brought carnival feel to the city. There are scenes of farewell, where people make speeches and present good wishes and charms to the sporting team as the depart for Kirtipur.
For the players of Biratnagar Kings the NPL is not just a cricket event, but it’s the chance to go down in the history of Nepali sports. When they lay foot on the football field on November 30 they will be more than agents of M City dream and aspirations. Whether they qualify or not, the Kings’ inclusion in this path breaking series has already heralded a new era for Biratnagar and for Nepali Cricket in general.
