The Nepal Premier League (NPL) 2024 kicked off on Saturday, November 30 with Janakpur Bolts securing an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Biratnagar Kings in the opening match held at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal.
The Cricket Association of Nepal has organised the tournament and it features eight teams in what is its inaugural edition.
Apart from Janakpur Bolts and Biratnagar Kings, Chitwan Rhinos, Karnali Yaks, Kathmandu Gurkhas, Lumbini Lions, Pokhara Avengers and Sudurpaschim Royals are the eight teams in the tournament. A total of 32 T20 matches will be played in the league’s inaugural edition.
The NPL 2024 is following a single round-robin format where each team plays the other seven sides once.
The top four teams from the league stage will then advance to the playoffs where the Eliminator match will be between the third and fourth-placed teams.
Meanwhile, Qualifier 1 will feature the top two sides in the standings and both the Eliminator and Qualifier 1 will take place on December 18.
The loser of Qualifier 1 will face the Eliminator winner in Qualifier 2 for a spot in the final, which is set for December 21.
Prominent international stars, including Shikhar Dhawan (Karnali Yaks), Martin Guptill (Biratnagar Kings), James Neesham (Janakpur Bolts), Ben Cutting (Lumbini Lions) and Bas De Leede with Andries Gous (Pokhara Avengers) are part of the tournament, adding plenty global flair and talent to the tournament.
All matches will be hosted at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, making it the central hub for Nepal’s exciting new franchise T20 league.
The opening match of the tournament witnessed Martin Guptill smash a 43-ball 55 for Biratnagar Kings, while Lahiru Milantha struck a 53-ball 75 for Janakpur Bolts to lead his team to an eight-wicket win.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the players with the most runs in Nepal Premier League 2024.
Rank |
Player |
Team |
Matches |
Runs |
1 |
Lahiru Milantha |
Janakpur Bolts |
2 |
99 |
2 |
AK Sah |
Janakpur Bolts |
2 |
67 |
3 |
Martin Guptill |
Biratnagar Kings |
1 |
55 |
4 |
Gulsan Jha |
Karnali Yaks |
1 |
36 |
5 |
Aasif Sheikh |
Janakpur Bolts |
2 |
36 |
6 |
Arjun Gharti |
Karnali Yaks |
1 |
33 |
7 |
Sompal Kami |
Karnali Yaks |
1 |
29 |
8 |
Harsh Thaker |
Janakpur Bolts |
1 |
29 |
9 |
Sumit Maharjan |
Kathmandu Gurkhas |
1 |
29 |
10 |
Santosh Karki |
Chitwan Rhinos |
1 |
28 |
Photo credit: Imago