According to the match schedule published by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Monday, Janakpur and Kathmandu will face off in the first match of the second edition of the NPL starting from Mangsir 1.
What you should know
Defending champions Janakpur Bolts will defend their Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket title by playing against Kathmandu Gorkhas.
According to the match schedule published by the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) on Monday, Janakpur and Kathmandu will face each other in the first match of the second edition of the NPL starting from Mangsir 1.
Janakpur won the first edition of the NPL by defeating Sudurpaschim Royals by 5 wickets last year. Kathmandu Gorkhas, captained by Karan KC, was in fifth place last season. The match between Janakpur and Kathmandu will start at 4 pm at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Sudurpaschim will play its first match with Kathmandu on the third day of the tournament. On the second day (Mangsir 2), Chitwan Rhinos will play against Karnali Yaks and Biratnagar Kings will play against Pokhara Avengers. Lumbini Lions, who were at the bottom of last season, will play their first match against Chitwan on the fourth day. The last match of the league stage will be played between Karnali Yaks and Lumbini Lions on Mangsir 21. After the 8 participating franchise teams compete against each other, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. Qualifier 1 will be held on Mangsir 23, Eliminator on Mangsir 24 and Qualifier 2 on Mangsir 25. The final will be held on Mangsir 27.
NPL under floodlights
NPL matches will also be held under floodlights. CAN has published the schedule so that one match per day will end in the evening. Floodlights will be turned on after the Janakpur and Kathmandu matches start at 4 pm. The matches that start in the afternoon will start at 3.30 pm and 4 pm and will end under floodlights.
This is the first time that a cricket match is being held under floodlights in Nepal. With just a week left for the start of the NPL, floodlighting work is currently underway at the renovated Kirtipur ground.
