‘Preparation is the biggest thing. Preparation is very important. If one does not prepare well, it is always difficult to play.’ This is the mantra of Shivnaran Chandrapaul. This is not only true in cricket, but also in life in general.

This former West Indies player and coach, who speaks so much, does not like to talk much about himself, but rather wants the bat to speak. Who is the biggest name closely associated with Nepali cricket? Brian Lara of the West Indies? Last year, he came to Nepal to play the first season of the Nepal Cricket League (NPL). But his role was only that of a guest. In this case, the answer to that question will be, Chandrapal. 

Chandrapal is very familiar to those who watched international cricket in the 90s and beyond. One fact related to Chandrapal may surprise even those old cricket fans, and that is the number of Tests he has played, 164. Playing a hundred Tests is a great achievement, and the statistics associated with Chandrapal make it clear what kind of player he is. In so many Tests, he has scored 11,867 runs, including 30 centuries and 66 half-centuries.

Chandrapal also played 268 one-day internationals. And 22 Twenty20 internationals as well. In international cricket alone, his runs have exceeded 20,000. What could be happier than this if such a former player now comes to Nepal as a coach? For this, we cannot be happier without thanking the Janakpur Bolts, who are the defending champions in NPL Season-2.

If anyone will be in the spotlight the most in this year's NPL, it will be Chandrapal. Another saying he made about the moment he was practicing in the nets is equally famous. He used to say, 'Whenever someone goes to the nets, he should know very well why he is really going there. When he is in the nets, everyone should know what his weaknesses are, what his strengths are.'

Another equally famous saying of Chandrapal is, 'Great players never play by shouting. It is better for a great player to be quiet. His job is to score runs and never give up.' He himself became a batter, so everything he has said is focused on the batter. So it is natural. 

With the arrival of Chandrapal, the players of Janakpur will learn something more, that much can be believed. When he is around, not only the players of Janakpur, but also the players of all other teams will have to learn something. Everything that Chandrapal has said is timeless. They are infallible guru mantras. After Lara, if anyone has had the most influence in West Indies cricket since the 90s, it is Chandrapal. He also captained the West Indies team.

Two characteristics of Chandrapal are always associated with him. The first of them is his unconventional 'batting stance'. The position he used to stand in front of the ball while batting is also called 'crab style'. That became the 'gangsta' style. Whenever he is about to face a bowler, his chest is turned towards that bowler, although something changes at the last moment.

Chandrapaul used to make the opposing bowler uncomfortable in some way. So, as long as he played active cricket, his style was always a topic of discussion. Now another question may be, why did he adopt this style? There is an answer to this too. It is said that there were good 'fast bowlers' in West Indies cricket until his time. Chandrapaul had come up with this unique solution to face them.

Another feature is the dark spots that appear under both eyes while playing. What exactly are these? In fact, they are 'anti-glare patches', whose function is to absorb more sunlight and reduce pressure on the eyes. This would have helped Chandrapaul not only while batting, but also while fielding. These 'patches' are capable of absorbing as much light as possible, and this eventually became Chandrapaul's identity.

Now, the fact that he played for Janakpur as a coach will be added to the biodata of so many former players. And whoever sees this, they will curiously search for what this NPL is. And in the process, they will know that this is a unique competition of Nepali cricket. For all these facts, we have to thank not only Janakpur, but also Chandrapal himself.

Another question will also be added to him, who will be his counterpart in the opposing team. The answer to that is also two former players who played Tests – Pabudu Dasanayake of Biratnagar Kings and Tinu Yohana of Lumbini Lions. Pubudu played 11 Tests for Sri Lanka. He is a wicketkeeper-batsman. Last year, Janakpur won the title under his leadership.

Yohana, on the other hand, got to play only three Tests for India. Along with Yohana, Robin Singh from India is the mentor of Chitwan. This is also another big name. There are three Nepali coaches in this year's NPL, Alam Ali in Chitwan Rhinos, Gyanendra Malla in Karnali Yaks and Jagat Tamata in Sudur Paschim Royals. Monty Desai is in charge of Kathmandu Gorkhas.

He is joined by Basant Shahi, who led Gorkhas last year. Similarly, Rajiv Kumar will lead Pokhara Avengers. Pubudu and Monty are coaches who have led Nepal to the Twenty20 World Cup twice. Nepali fans need no introduction to them. The audience praises Pubudu and Monty as soon as they step onto the field. Monty is coming to Nepal for the first time and coaching in a franchise league.