NPL Season 2 Mini Auction Set for Saturday; 37 Players to Be Picked

The mini auction for the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) is set to take place this Saturday. Out of 150 shortlisted players, a total of 37 players will be bought and added to the teams through this auction.

In the first edition, 8 franchise teams had purchased 80 players (excluding marquee players) through the auction. Among them, 38 players have now been released. Additionally, Karnali Yaks have directly signed Bipin Sharma (identified via talent hunt) under Grade ‘C’, bringing the total number of players to be included through this mini auction to 37.

Player Grades and Auction Guidelines

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has shortlisted 150 players, categorized as:

• Grade A: 8 players
• Grade B: 35 players
• Grade C: 105 players

Unlike last season, where teams were required to buy specific numbers of players from each grade, this time teams can select players from any grade based on their needs, according to CAN spokesperson Chhumbi Lama.

Each team has a maximum auction budget of NPR 90 lakhs (9 million). The cost of retained players will be deducted from this budget, and the remaining balance can be used to buy new players.

The value of retained players will increase by 10%, as per CAN regulations. For new and released players, the minimum base price has been set as:

• Grade A: NPR 10 lakhs
• Grade B: NPR 5 lakhs
• Grade C: NPR 2 lakhs

Team-wise Player Requirements and Budgets

1. Biratnagar Kings

• Marquee: Sandeep Lamichhane
• Retained Players: Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Bashir Ahmad, Subash Bhandari, Naren Bhatt
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 44.5 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 45.5 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5

2. Janakpur Bolts

• Marquee: Aasif Sheikh
• Retained Players: Anil Shah, Lalit Rajbanshi, Kishore Mahato, Rupesh Singh, Shubha Kansakar, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 57 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 33 lakhs
• Players Needed: 4

3. Chitwan Rhinos

• Marquee: Kushal Malla
• Retained Players: Rijan Dhakal, Kalamsingh Airee, Amarsingh Rautela, Deepak Bohara, Gautam KC
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 32 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 58 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5

4. Kathmandu Gurkhas

• Marquee: Karan KC
• Retained Players: Bhim Sharki, Shahab Alam, Rashid Khan, Dipesh Kandel, Pratik Shrestha
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 47 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 43 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5

5. Pokhara Avengers

• Marquee: Kushal Bhurtel
• Retained Players: Sagar Dhakal, Akash Chand, Kiran Kumar Thagunna, Bipin Khatri, Tritraj Das, Dinesh Kharel
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 52.5 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 37.5 lakhs
• Players Needed: 4

6. Lumbini Lions

• Marquee: Rohit Kumar Paudel
• Retained Players: Vivek Yadav, Sandeep Jora, Tilakraj Bhandari, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhisesh Gautam
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 44.75 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 45.25 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5

7. Karnali Yaks

• Marquee: Sompal Kami
• Retained Players: Gulshan Jha, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Gharti, Dipendra Rawat, Yunishbikram Singh Thakuri, Bipin Sharma (Talent Hunt)
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 41 lakhs (excluding Bipin Sharma)
• Remaining Budget: NPR 49 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5

8. Sudurpaschim Royals

• Marquee: Dipendra Singh Airee
• Retained Players: Abhinash Bohara, Arif Sheikh, Binod Bhandari, Ishan Pandey, Naren Saud
• Retained Budget Used: NPR 48.5 lakhs
• Remaining Budget: NPR 41.5 lakhs
• Players Needed: 5