Five teams set for big spending in NPL mini auction

The Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket mini auction is set for Saturday, and five teams are expected to compete fiercely for new players. The teams with the biggest budgets for the auction are Chitwan Rhinos, Biratnagar Kings, Lumbini Lions, Kathmandu Gorkhas, and Sudurpashchim Royals.

In the first season’s auction last year, teams (excluding marquee players) could spend between Rs 6.5 million and Rs 9 million. Chitwan spent only Rs 6.3 million then. This time, after releasing Sharad Vesawkar, Bipin Rawal, Santosh Karki, Dipesh Shrestha, and Ranjit Kumar, Chitwan has more money to spend.

For Saturday’s auction, team budgets are:

• Chitwan Rhinos – Rs 5.8 million
• Biratnagar Kings – Rs 4.55 million
• Lumbini Lions – Rs 4.52 million
• Kathmandu Gorkhas – Rs 4.3 million
• Sudurpashchim Royals – Rs 4.15 million

Other teams have smaller amounts left:

• Pokhara Avengers – Rs 3.65 million
• Karnali Yaks – Rs 3.35 million
• Janakpur Bolts – Rs 3.25 million

In the ‘A’ category, players have a base price of Rs 1 million and a maximum price of Rs 1.5 million. Big names include Arjun Saud, Dilip Nath, Dev Khanal, Pawan Sarraf, Sharad Vesawkar, Mohammad Aadil Alam, Surya Tamang, and Sunam Gautam. Recently, CAN cleared Aadil Alam to play again after his suspension for spot-fixing allegations in the Nepal T20 League three years ago.

In the ‘B’ category, the base price is Rs 500,000 and the maximum is Rs 1 million. There are 35 players here, such as Aakash Tripathi, Anil Kharel, Arjun Kumal, Bipin Rawal, Deepak Bohara, Hemant Dhami, Krishna Karki, Prithu Baskota, Rabi Shah, Santosh Karki, Sher Malla, Sumit Maharjan, and Yuvraj Khatri.

The ‘C’ category has over 100 players, including Nepal U-19 vice-captain Abhishek Tiwari, Araniko Yadav, and Deepak Dumre.

Crowds are expected as teams look to strengthen their squads ahead of the new NPL season.