"There has never been so much investment in history, what will happen now is unknown," said Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Secretary Paras Khadka while interacting with sports journalists on the eve of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). He said that the NPL is a celebration for Nepalis as more than 60 corporate houses are directly involved. Paras, who is also a former captain of Nepal, was now saying that the NPL should also be celebrated like festivals like Dashain and Tihar.

Champion Janakpur Bolts had signed a sponsorship agreement with Nepal Lube Oil Limited's golf last year. Karan Chaudhary, Managing Director and CEO of Nepal Lube Oil, was nowhere to be seen in the agreement. But when Janakpur renewed the agreement with the same Nepal Lube for this NPL, Chaudhary presented himself differently.

After renewing the sponsorship agreement with Janakpur in his own presence, he was saying, 'Last year, I took this agreement for granted, but only after going to the field to watch the NPL, I realized its importance. Now this is not only about connecting and bonding, but also about sharing the ups and downs with each other.' After Janakpur won the title, an excited Chaudhary hosted a dinner for the champion team at the Plaza Hotel.

Chaudhary was saying that NPL has made companies a big platform. His argument was that it would be difficult for corporate houses to stay outside the NPL now. NPL is no longer just a cricket competition, it has also become a major market expansion tool for big companies. It did not take Chaudhary long to understand this. 

NPL has become a 'lamp of hope' to breathe life into an economy that has not been able to become viable for a long time. The second edition of NPL, which gained fame and great popularity in the first edition, is also sure to win the love of millions of viewers. With the investment of big business houses, tourism promotion and expansion of the advertising market, NPL is seen to directly contribute to employment, trade and revenue growth. That is why NPL is seen as a special relief package 'microeconomic stimulus' to make the sluggish economy viable.

At a time when the economy is sluggish, NPL will generate economic transactions worth more than one billion. This will not only make the economy viable, but will also activate the domestic economy through job creation, increased consumption and investment attraction. It will also give courage and confidence to investors. As NPL approaches, the economy has also increased. The booming hotel bookings, the large number of jersey sales, the promotion and branding by franchises, and the growing involvement of business families have raised hopes in the country's economy.

Every team is currently preparing for the competition with the goal of becoming the best in the NPL. For this, hotels in major cities including Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Biratnagar are full. Spectators from outside the valley have also booked hotels to come to Kathmandu to watch the game.

CAN has also opened ticket sales for spectators. At this time, the excitement of the NPL has heated up not only the Nepali sports sector but also the entire economy, from the market to business and the arts. At a time when the country and the government have not invested much in Nepali sports, and even if they do, it is not enough to develop and expand the game, the NPL can be a good answer. The NPL has become a 'platform' where Nepali players can earn money by playing.

Franchise expenses up to 100 million

This year too, each franchise is expected to spend between 80 and 100 million rupees. This expense is the same as last year. However, franchises have said that since this is the second edition, there is no need to purchase a franchise and only renewal is sufficient, and there will be less spending on branding and social media, so it will be slightly lower than last year. 

However, franchises have not reduced the salaries, allowances, food, accommodation, health, training, etc. of the players. Therefore, this year too, each franchise's expenses are expected to be around the same as last year. It is expected that the franchise team will spend around 10 million rupees on Nepali players and 20 million rupees on foreign players.

Financial turnover of more than a billion 

Currently, about 1.2 trillion rupees of loanable money has been accumulated in the financial sector. The demand for loans has not increased. Due to the lack of demand for loans, new industries have not opened, and the turnover of old ones has also shrunk. The economy, which had been showing signs of slow recovery since the early months of the current fiscal year, has been devastated by the protests of Bhadra 23 and 24.

Many private businesses, including Bhatbhateni, have been reduced to ashes, while the morale of the private sector has become historically weak. Market demand has decreased and economic activity has also slowed down. Even in such a situation, economic activity worth more than one billion is being created due to NPL. In the first edition of NPL last year, CAN spent about 200 million on advertising, branding, essential infrastructure, etc.

Similarly, each of the eight franchises spent 80 to 100 million. On this basis, the first edition of NPL generated a financial turnover of about one billion. CAN spokesperson Chumbi Lama says that CAN and franchises are working hard to reduce their operating expenses this year.

Although the first edition involved a lot of expenses because everything was new, he said that their goal is to reduce operating expenses this year compared to last year. CAN had earned around Rs 270 million from franchise licenses alone. CAN is confident that its income will increase and expenses will decrease this year.

‘CAN had spent Rs 200 million on last year’s NPL. This year, CAN aims to spend less than last year. Last year, a lot was spent on necessary infrastructure, preparation, branding, promotion, etc.,’ Lama said. ‘This year, it is seen that not only CAN’s expenses but also those of the franchises will decrease.’ In this way, CHUMBI said that CAN expects a financial turnover of Rs 800 million to one billion in the second edition. 

Like last year, this year too, Siddhartha Bank is the main sponsor of NPL and Ncell is the co-sponsor. These companies had already signed agreements with NPL for the next five years last year. In addition, NPL had signed sponsorship agreements with various companies and brands last year. CAN has stated that the number of companies affiliated with NPL will increase to 15 to 17 this year. CAN has not disclosed how much money it has collected from these companies for sponsorship. However, CAN is said to make public the income collected from sponsorship.

Estimated to sell over 80 million tickets

CAN estimates that it will earn more than 80 million from ticket sales this year. CAN, which earned about 45 million rupees from ticket sales last year, expects that income to more than double this year. Since the stadium is well-equipped this year, CAN has set the ticket price according to the game and location.

NPL ticket sales have been opened since Monday night. All matches of the tournament will be held in Kirtipur. The opening match will be between Kathmandu Gorkhas and Janakpur Bolts. All tickets for this match were sold within 24 hours of opening. The ticket price for the first day has been set at 500 rupees for general and 1,500 rupees for VIP. In the round robin league, the ticket prices for other days have been set at 500 and 1,000. One ticket will be used to watch both matches.

The playoffs have been priced at Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 (premium). Seasonal tickets have been priced at Rs 15,000. It is said that a 20 percent discount has been given on seasonal tickets. CAN is selling tickets through the Khalti app.

Jersey sales have increased sharply 

Franchisees have said that the demand for jerseys has increased sharply this year compared to last year. According to them, at least twice as many jerseys will be sold as last year. Some franchises, including Pokhara, are selling jerseys by holding concerts, while some are selling jerseys in large numbers through official vendors and online. Franchisees are selling their jerseys at a price of Rs 1,000 to 2,000. CAN has said that this year too, about 100 employees and the same number of volunteers will be mobilized. 

Franchisees' income will increase 

Franchisees' income will also increase this year compared to last year. Each franchise has increased the number of 'sponsors' compared to last year, and their income from ticket sales and cans will also increase, so their income is expected to increase. 

IPL is a brand worth 18.5 billion US dollars 

The International Cricket Board has stated that most of the world's total cricket viewers are from India. This also makes it easy to guess how much cricket craze there is in India. Seeing this craze for cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) started the domestic T-20 cricket league 'Indian Premier League' (IPL) in 2008. In the nearly 17 years since its inception, the brand value (commercial valuation) of IPL has reached 18.5 billion US dollars. This has increased by about 13 percent in 2025 compared to 2024. 

In 2025, the franchises earned between 6.5 billion and 7 billion rupees. The 2025 final saw the highest number of spectators ever. The final between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings has become one of the most watched sports competitions in history, receiving more than 600 million views on GeoCinema, according to various media outlets. Like the contribution made by IPL to the Indian economy, NPL is also expected to make a huge contribution to the Nepali economy.