Last November, 55-year-old Damodar Thapaliya and his wife Sunita had come to the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground by bus from Chitwan in the morning to watch the first edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). They had arranged tickets to watch the match the day before and had left for Kathmandu. At that time, the ground was nothing short of festive as spectators from all seven provinces gathered together to watch the match.

In the early days, Damodar used to explain cricket to his wife and introduce her to the players. After that, they often watch cricket together, whether on television or on the field. 

Thapaliya says that it is fun to watch the excitement of one ball after another in cricket. Moreover, in a 20-over game, batting and bowling in a single over can change the outcome of the game, which makes him even more curious. ‘How many runs will he score? What will he do next,’ he had said while watching the first edition of NPL. Earlier, when there was no TV, he also had the experience of enjoying big cricket matches by listening to ‘commentary’ on the radio. 

However, the current generation has not been able to experience cricket ‘commentary’ on the radio. The attraction of watching cricket together as a family is growing, as was also witnessed by the experience of 11-year-old Karsiv Dhamla and 8-year-old Priyans Bhattarai from Sudurpaschim Kailali, who were met at the TU ground last year.

They had come to watch cricket with their families. Both the supporters from the Far West had a good knowledge of cricket since childhood. Children, youth and the elderly had reached the ground to watch the game and cheer for their team. Some of these spectators had traveled long distances from different districts of all seven provinces to Kathmandu. 

The craze for cricket fans is growing in Nepal. The extent to which the craze for Nepali fans for the NPL has grown is evident from the presence of spectators who completely cover the TU ground during various national/international matches. For the inaugural match of the last edition of the NPL, CAN had put up 10,000 tickets for sale, but within 24 hours, 800 VIP tickets and 9,200 general tickets were sold, meaning that all the tickets were sold out three days before the match started. 

According to CAN, the number of people physically present at the ground in the first edition was more than 150,000. More than 60 million people watched the matches of this edition through various means. The average viewership of each match is more than 1.5 million on television, YouTube and other online platforms.

When talking about the first edition, some viewers had to climb tall trees to watch cricket with difficulty due to lack of space. Lines of supporters starting outside the field hours before the start of the game, traveling all night to reach Kathmandu, making logos on different parts of the body in support of their team, carrying their team's flag and shouting, presenting themselves with costumes, culture and musical instruments according to the team of their region are some of the attractive and interesting scenes seen in the first edition of the NPL.

The number of spectators who came to watch the game not only in support of a team but also in support of the players was also seen to be large. In Nepal, scenes like whole families coming to watch the game wearing the jerseys of the same team, carrying signboards with the names of the players and shouting have now become commonplace among Nepali cricket fans.

The arrival of the world's greatest cricketer, West Indies player Brian Lara, to Nepal to watch the Nepal Premier League, and the participation of players like New Zealand's Martin Guptill, India's Shikhar Dhawan, New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham, and Sri Lanka's Lahiru Milandha in the NPL attracted the attention of not only the domestic audience but also the world. 

In the first edition, as many spectators flocked to the field to watch the NPL, there was an equal number of spectators outside the field. Which is difficult to see in the 'franchise league' of other countries. Nowadays, whether it is an international or domestic competition, the crowd of Nepali spectators who reach the field to watch a cricket match in which Nepali players participate is unbearable. The appreciation of the cricket 'craze' of Nepali spectators has spread not only within the country but also around the world. 

At a time when there is widespread despair in the country, the great cricket festival in Kirtipur is also doing the work of instilling hope, enthusiasm, and adding excitement. Eight teams are playing representing the NPL provinces, which has attracted spectators from all provinces. The tradition of coming to Kathmandu only for sightseeing, shopping or for some family/government work has been added since last year, with people coming to the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur to watch the game, supporting their team, players and region. 

In fact, thousands of Nepalis are seen carrying the national flag to the stadium to cheer on the Nepali team even abroad. Supak Adhikari of Kaski, who arrived in Australia 15 years ago, is also amazed at the growing passion for cricket in Nepal. ‘Even before I came to Australia, there was not much craze for cricket in Nepal. But whenever Nepal has done well in cricket, its craze has also been expanding from the youth generation to the children and the elderly,’ he said. ‘I myself have been to 3/4 countries to watch Nepal’s games. Since cricket is continuously taking Nepal to the world stage, I go there thinking that the attendance is big before winning or losing.’ 

Adhikari says that after Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane played in the 'Big Bash' in Australia, his family came to watch all his matches. Adhikari is a supporter of Sudurpaschim in the NPL. 'Words cannot express the joy of the spectators wearing Nepal's jersey, Nepali flag in their hands, and excitement on their faces. NPL has also become our celebration. This time, after the NPL schedule was made public, I have managed to watch all the matches on television,' he told Kantipur. 'Even though I have been cutting back on work, I have been watching Nepali cricket on television,' he believes that the cricket 'craze' has increased because the players have done well. 

'Earlier, we used to watch Nepal's matches on TV while in the village. After Nepal won, we used to walk around the village happily,' said Rabin Dahal, who is currently in Kathmandu during his studies, 'We used to consider IPL as a big cricket tournament. We were also supporters. But now I am happy that such a competition is also happening in Nepal.’

He plans to go to watch every match as he can see foreign players playing on Nepali fields. The tradition of showing games on projectors in the villages and in the stadiums is the same. When the Nepali team and players take to the field, millions of Nepalis feel as if they are on the field themselves. 

After neighboring India started the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, it had a multifaceted impact. After that, its lessons began to be learned everywhere. Big Bash in Australia, Caribbean Premier League in West Indies, The Hundred in England, Ramslam T-20 Challenge in South Africa, BPL in Bangladesh, PSL in Pakistan, and Lanka Premier League in Sri Lanka have been held. Not only has the interest in league games increased widely, the country’s economy has also improved along with the level of play in those countries.

In the meantime, the launch of NPL by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has also become a great festival for Nepali sports fans. Where the enthusiasm of the spectators and supporters is widespread. The chairs and tickets kept in the stadium are certain to be insufficient this time. The crowd and interest seen in the trophy tour also indicates this. Even as the date of the NPL approaches, the NPL has become cricket-filled everywhere, including the crowded cities, village courtyards, tea shops and cafes, Facebook, TikTok and other social media. 

Even though cricket has been introduced in Nepal for more than a century, it has now become a source of pride and enthusiasm for the people. Cricket has become the most popular sport. After reaching the World Cup for the first time in 2014, the 'craze' for cricket in Nepal has increased rapidly. Now cricket academies are also gradually increasing.

Santosh Neupane, operator and coach of Royal Cricket Academy Nawalpur, says that the NPL has spread a positive message towards cricket in the villages. 'Earlier, the academy was operated only during school holidays. But now parents bring their children to the academy,' said Neupane, 'Our academy, which used to operate for a limited period of time, is now operating for 12 months.'