Eight-year-old Prince KC was spotted at the 'Red Bull Zone' of the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Prince, who had a Kathmandu Gorkhaz logo sticker stuck to his cheek, was enjoying the Nepal Premier League (NPL) match, carrying the team's flag in his hand. He would wave the flag and get excited when Kathmandu Gorkhaz hit fours and sixes. His face would turn gloomy when a player was out.

Lumbini Lions supporter Dayaraj Dhungana, 25, is excited about his team's performance this time. He says that national team captain Rohit Poudel needs to prove himself in the home team as well. 'The World Cup is coming, all the players need to be in form,' said Dhungana. 'Since my home is Palpa, I want the home team to win and Rohit's captaincy to be successful.'

The national team's excellent performance in recent years is an important reason for the increase in the craze for cricket in Nepal. His experience says that the second season of the NPL is more organized and better than the first. 'I have been coming to watch the game regularly. If there is an environment to organize games in other places instead of just one ground in the upcoming edition, its craze may increase further,' said Dhungana.  

Despite being based in Nuwakot, 25-year-old Mandira Neupane supported Karnali Yaks. She is interested in international cricket and likes Shikhar Dhawan. And, after Dhawan played for Karnali in the first season, she also became a Karnali supporter. ‘Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav are also my favorite players,’ she said, ‘I chose Karnali because they are my favorite players.’ 

She has been watching almost all the NPL matches on OTT and TV, but this time she went to the stadium to watch the match live. ‘It was even more fun to see the players’ hard work live,’ said Neupane. She says that the NPL is developing into a competition that the country can be proud of. She says that if such competitions are held continuously, the players will get both continuity and inspiration. 

Apsara Khanal of Butwal says that the NPL should be further improved. So far, she has been to the stadium to watch all the matches live except for two matches of Lumbini Lions, and she is drawing the attention of the audience. Her job is to support her team by getting a tattoo on her body for the team she supports, Lumbini, and dancing to the songs played on the field while carrying the team flag.

She understands that the cricket craze has increased in Nepal since the start of the NPL. ‘No matter who wins, Nepal wins if this tournament is successful. On the contrary, on this occasion, we have been able to get to know friends from different places and increase intimacy,’ she said. Although there are many questions about parking management, ease of vehicles and tickets, and proper management of toilets inside the field, she emphasizes that it is in its initial stage and we need to move forward positively.

When spectators from all seven provinces gather together in the NPL to watch the game, the excitement on the field is no less than a festival. Shekhar Bikram Karki, 41, of Bhaktapur Thimi, who previously shared his experience of listening to ‘commentary’ on big cricket matches on the radio when there was no TV, was met on the field with his 11-year-old daughter Shanvi on Wednesday. While the country is in a state of despair, the ongoing cricket festival in Kirtipur is filling it with hope, enthusiasm and excitement.

The eight teams representing the province have attracted spectators from all provinces, which has created an atmosphere of shared celebration within the country, according to Karki. ‘Politically, we are disappointed now. At such a time, cricket has given every Nepali a place to be proud,’ said Karki. ‘In recent times, when famous foreign players are playing in Nepal, the attraction of family members sitting in one place and watching cricket has also increased.’ He believes that the NPL is not only increasing intimacy and brotherhood, but is also having a positive impact on the country’s tourism and trade.

Children, youth and even the elderly are seen at the Kirtipur ground to cheer for their teams and watch the game. Some of them have come to Kathmandu from different districts, traveling long distances. A group of seven people, including Kabiraj Singh Thakuri, who came from Kohalpur to support Karnali Yaks, had come to the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur. Despite growing up in Kohalpur, it was the love for his birthplace Karnali that brought Thakuri here. 

‘We came from the village just to watch the game. We had a friend’s room in Baneshwor, we would sleep there at night and come to watch the game during the day,’ said Thakuri, ‘We had arranged expenses from home to watch the game. We returned after our team was eliminated.’ 

The extent to which Nepali fans’ craze for NPL has grown is evident from the presence of spectators who fill the Kirtipur ground during various national and international matches. The tickets put up for sale by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) are usually sold out within 24 hours, with all VIP and general tickets being sold out.

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

Learning from the first edition of the NPL, security arrangements have now been made very tight. Entry without tickets was prohibited from the gate of Tribhuvan University to prevent crowds of spectators outside the field except for tickets. Deepak Lamsal, who came from Butwal, said that since last year, the tradition of coming to Kathmandu only for sightseeing, shopping or for some family or government work has increased, and people have also come to the cricket ground in Kirtipur to watch the match, supporting their team, players and region.

The appreciation of the cricket 'craze' of Nepali spectators has spread not only within the country but also around the world. 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 T20 Challenge in South Africa, BPL in Bangladesh, PSL in Pakistan and Lanka Premier League in Sri Lanka have been held. This has not only increased the general public's interest in league games, but the country's economy has also improved along with the level of play in those countries.

CAN's launch of NPL in Nepal is a great celebration for Nepali sports fans. CAN spokesperson Chhumbi Lama said that entertainment arrangements including a good DJ have been added to this year's NPL. This time, after installing floodlights, even employees have been able to watch the game after finishing their work.

Aditya Raj Ghimire of Chabahil, Kathmandu, who reached Kirtipur to watch NPL games, says that the 'craze' for cricket has increased rapidly in Nepal after Nepal reached the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. He says that the participation of world cricket great West Indies player Brian Lara in the NPL, the participation of world's best players like New Zealand's Martin Guptill, India's Shikhar Dhawan, and Sri Lanka's Lahiru Milandha in the NPL has attracted the attention of not only domestic viewers but also the world. 

The craze for cricket is not less among Nepalis living abroad. Ganesh Wagle, who reached Australia from Nawalpul Gaindakot 10 years ago, says that he even has to arrange his sleeping time to watch the NPL game. 'Here, we watch it together as a family,' Wagle said, 'It seems that friends gather in Nepali hotels or even gather in their own apartments to watch the game.'