Cricket in Nepal | |
Union: | Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) |
Country: | Nepal |
Sport: | Cricket |
Nationalteam: | Men Women Nepal A U-19 Men U-19 women |
First: | 1920 |
Registered: | 50000 |
Clubs: | 4500 |
Cricket in Nepal has gained popularity over the years and has become the country's one of the most popular and widely followed sport. It rapidly grew popularity in the mid 2010s, following the slight successes of the Nepalese cricket team as well as the country's explosive rise in social media and television viewing influence from neighboring country India. It is played by many people throughout the country, especially in the Terai region. The biggest cricketing achievement of the national cricket team was when the team reached the qualification tournament of 2014 ICC World T20 held in Bangladesh. Nepal's playing season runs from September to November and starts again in March before finishing in May. As of October 2023, there were 3400 senior cricket clubs and over 35000 registered players in Nepal.[1]
In 1920s Cricket was introduced to Nepal for the first time by Lt.-Gen.Madan Shumsher JBR youngest son of Rana Prime Minister Maharaja Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana. But at the time, cricket was considered a "gentleman's game" so was limited to the ruling Rana family members and some elites of Nepal. Though the game was kept within themselves and other members of the elite, the Cricket Association of Nepal was formed in 1946 to promote cricket amongst the aristocracy.[2]
After the introduction of democracy through the Revolution of 1951, cricket began to spread to the rest of the population. In 1961, in an effort to promote cricket to the whole of Nepal, the Cricket Association of Nepal became part of the National Sports Council. Nevertheless, the National games tended to be limited to Kathmandu until the 1980s.
Improvements to the communication and transport infrastructure in Nepal allowed the game to expand outside Kathmandu in the 1980s, and Nepal became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 1988. A major development programme began in the early 1990s, with regional and district tournaments established and cricket being promoted in the schools. Nepal became an Associate Member of the ACC in 1990 and became a full member in 1994.
Interest in cricket increased quickly in the 1990s, and demand to play was such that the number of teams in tournaments had to be restricted until more facilities could be built.
Nepal became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1996,[3] which was the year the national side played for the first time, in the ACC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur. Nepal finished fourth out of six teams in their first round group in this competition, beating Brunei and Japan.[4] The achievement of this era was the historic win against Bangladesh in the 1999 ACC Trophy.
Nepal secured a 2002 Asia cup place but due to India Pakistan tension Asia cup didn't happen. During the 2004-2008 era Nepal U19 is at the peak. They beat New Zealand in the U19 World Cup. One of the significant turning points came in 2008 when they secured the ICC World Cricket League Division Five title.
Nepal played their first T20I World Cup in Bangladesh 2014 where they defeated Hong Kong and Afghanistan. Since then, Nepali cricket's fan following has been increasing day by day.
At 2016 U19 World Cup Nepal performed outstanding and reached quarter final. In 2018 Nepal secured a ODI status for the next 5 years after the win against PNG in ICC ODI World Cup Qualifier at Zimbabwe.
See main article: Cricket Association of Nepal.
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is the official governing body of cricket in Nepal. Its headquarters is situated in Mulpani, Kathmandu. It is Nepal's representative at the International Cricket Council and remains an associate member since 1996 AD (2053 BS). It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The board was dissolved by the government of Nepal in November 2014 on the grounds of incompetence and a three-member ad hoc committee was established with a new president designated by the government itself.[5]
In April 2016, CAN was suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC), on the grounds of government interference in its operations. However the suspension did not prevent Nepal's national teams from participating in ICC tournaments.[6] [7]
The ICC welcomed the elections of the board held in September 2019[8] and formally reinstated the board on a conditional basis on 14 October.[9] On 13 October 2019, the ICC lifted its suspension on the Cricket Association of Nepal.[10]
The Nepal national cricket team is governed by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and is a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Since 1996 AD (2053 BS), the CAN has been affiliated with ICC, the international governing body for world cricket as a associate member. In 1990 AD (2047 BS), the CAN became one of the members of the ACC. There are other Indian national teams, such as the Nepal A team and under-19 team.
The following list includes the performance of all of India's national teams at major competitions.
See main article: Nepal national cricket team.
Tournament | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 out of 9 | ||||
1 out of 1 | ||||
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier | 0 out of 12 | |||
ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 | 0 out of 1 | |||
0 out of 16 | ||||
ACC Men's Premier Cup | 1 out of 2 | |||
Asian Games | 0 out of 3 | |||
South Asian Games Cricket | 0 out of 2 | |||
ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup | 0 out of 5 |
See main article: Nepal women's national cricket team.
Tournament | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 out of 9 | ||||
0 out of 1 | ||||
0 out of 3 | ||||
0 out of 2 | ||||
0 out of 1 |
See main article: Nepal national under-19 cricket team.
Tournament | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance in finals | Last appearance | Best performance |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 out of 15 | ||||
Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier | 9 out of 15 | |||
- | ||||
1 out of 3 |
There are currently 7 provincial cricket associations and 45 district cricket associations affiliated with CAN.[11]
Team | Logo | Governing Body | Men's | Women's | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senior | U-19 | U-16 | Senior | U-19 | U-16 | |||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
2018– | ||||||||||
See main article: Nepal national cricket team.
The Nepal National Cricket Team represents Nepal in international cricket matches.
Nepal have been participating in international cricket since 1996 when they competed in the 1996 ACC Trophy. They have competed in numerous tournaments over the years including the ICC Trophy (later the ICC World Cup Qualifier), the ICC Intercontinental Cup. The team gained T20 International status for the first time in 2013 after qualifying for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 which was their first and only appearance at a major ICC event. The team also gained One Day International status in 2018 after finishing 8th in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.[12]
See main article: Nepal national women's cricket team.
The Nepal national women's cricket team represents Nepal in international women's cricket matches. They made their international debut in the ACC Women's Tournament in Malaysia in July 2007. The women's team has competed in two Women's Asia Cup and regularly competes in Asian Cricket Council events. The women's team hold T20I status since 1 July 2018 after a decision by the International Cricket Council to give T20I status to all member nations.
There are 65 grounds in Nepal with 17 turf wickets, but international matches can be played only at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The Pokhara Cricket Ground is the only other ground to host international cricket having hosted the women's tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games.
Ground | Photo | City | District | Province | Capacity | ODl[22] | T20I[23] | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matches | First match | Matches | First match | ||||||||
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground | Kirtipur | Kathmandu | Bagmati | 15,000 | 25 | 5 February 2020 | 27 | 5 December 2019 | [24] | ||
Mulpani International Cricket Ground | Kageshwari-Manohara | Kathmandu | Bagmati | 4,000 | 1 | 29 April 2023 | 13 | 23 October, 2023 | [25] | ||
Pokhara Cricket Ground | Pokhara | Kaski | Gandaki | 16500 | 4 | 2 December 2019 | 0 | Not Yet | Proposed expansion |
Competition | Edition | Winner | Final | Runners-up | India's position | Venues | Final venue | Stadium | |
Men's senior competitions | |||||||||
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier | 2023 (Regional Final) | Runners-up | 2 (in 1 City) | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground | |||||
ACC Premier Cup | 2023 | Champions | 2 (in 1 City) | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground | |||||
Cricket at the South Asian Games | 2019 | Bronze | 2 (in 1 city) | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground | |||||
Women's senior competitions | |||||||||
Cricket at the South Asian Games | 2019 | Bronze | 2 (in 1 city) | Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground |
Champions | |
Runners-up | |
3rd position | |
ICC Cricket World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Host & Year | Round | Position | ||||||||||
1975 | Not eligible | Not eligible | ||||||||||
1979 | ||||||||||||
1983 | ||||||||||||
1987 | ||||||||||||
1992 | ||||||||||||
1996 | ||||||||||||
1999 | ||||||||||||
2003 | Did not qualify | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
2007 | Not eligible | Not eligible | ||||||||||
2011 | ||||||||||||
2015 | Did not qualify | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
2019 | 35 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
2023 | 36 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
2027 | TBD | |||||||||||
2031 |
width=150 | Host & Year | width=100 | Round | width=75 | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Not eligible | |||||||||||||||
2009 | |||||||||||||||
2010 | |||||||||||||||
Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||
Group Stage | 12/16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||
2022 | |||||||||||||||
Group Stage | 17/20 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
TBD | |||||||||||||||
2028 | |||||||||||||||
2030 | |||||||||||||||
Total | Group Stage (2014, 2024) | 2/9 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
width=150 | Host & Year | width=100 | Round | width=75 | Position | width=50 | P | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Not eligible – Not an ICC member | ||||||||||||||||
1982 | ||||||||||||||||
1986 | ||||||||||||||||
Not eligible – ICC affiliate member | ||||||||||||||||
1994 | ||||||||||||||||
Did not participate | ||||||||||||||||
Group stage | Round 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||||
Not eligible – In Division Five | ||||||||||||||||
Playoffs | 9th | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Relegated to 2014 Division 3 | |||||||||
Playoffs | 8th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Gained ODI status until 2023 | |||||||||
Playoffs | 8th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Had retained ODI status until 2027 | |||||||||
Total | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
width=150 | Host & Year | width=100 | Round | width=75 | Position | width=50 | P | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Did not participate | ||||||||||||||||
2010 | ||||||||||||||||
7th-10th Playoff Stage | 7th | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Semi Final | 3rd | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Qualified for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 | |||||||||
Group Stage | 12th | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||||
Semi Final | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Qualified for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup | |||||||||
Total | 35 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
Host & Year | Round | Position | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Not Eligible | |||||||
1986 | ||||||||
1988 | ||||||||
1990–91 | ||||||||
1995 | ||||||||
1997 | did not qualify | |||||||
2000 | did not participate | |||||||
2004 | did not qualify | |||||||
2010 | did not participate | |||||||
2012 | ||||||||
2014 | did not qualify | |||||||
2016 | did not participate | |||||||
2018 | did not qualify | |||||||
2023 | Group Stage | 5th/6th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
width=150 | Host & Year | width=50 | Tournament | width=50 | Position | width=50 | P | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | N/R | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | ACC Premier League | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Qualified for 2014 ACC Championship, but the tournament was cancelled. | ||||||||
2016 | Asia Cup Qualifier | did not participate | Had no T20I status | |||||||||||||
2018 | Asia Cup Qualifier | 4th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
2020 | Asia Cup Qualifier | did not qualify | Setback in eastern regional qualifier | |||||||||||||
2023 | ACC Premier Cup | Champions | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Qualified for the 2023 Asia Cup and 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup | ||||||||
2024 | ACC Premier Cup | 4th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
width=150 | Year | width=50 | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | N/R | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Quarter-finals | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | Knocked out by Sri-Lanka in the Quarter-Final | |||||||
2014 | Quarter-finals | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | Knocked out by Afghanistan in the Quarter-Final | |||||||
2022 | Quarter-finals | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | Knocked out by India in the Quarter-Final |
width=150 | Host & Year | width=50 | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | N/R |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Bronze | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Host & Year | Tournament | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 2013 ACC Emerging Teams Cup | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
2017 | 2017 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
2018 | 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup | Did not Qualify | ||||||
2019 | 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
2023 | 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Year | Tournament | Position | GP | W | L | D | points | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | 2004 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Group Stage- Asia Group | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 42 | |
2005 | 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Group Stage- Asia Group | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 40.5 | |
2006-07 | 2006–07 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Did not qualify | ||||||
2007-08 | 2007–08 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Did not qualify | ||||||
2009-10 | 2009–10 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Did not qualify | ||||||
2011-13 | 2011–2013 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Did not qualify | ||||||
2015-17 | 2015–2017 ICC Intercontinental Cup | Did not qualify |
ACC Trophy record (50 Over Tournament) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Tournament | Position | |
1996 | 1996 ACC Trophy | First round | |
1998 | 1998 ACC Trophy | First round | |
2000 | 2000 ACC Trophy | Semi-finals | |
2002 | 2002 ACC Trophy | Runners-up | |
2004 | 2004 ACC Trophy | 5th place | |
2006 | 2006 ACC Trophy | 4th place | |
2008 | 2008 ACC Trophy Elite | 4th place | |
2010 | 2010 ACC Trophy Elite | Runners-up | |
2012 | 2012 ACC Trophy Elite | Winners (Shared trophy with United Arab Emirates national cricket team |
World Cup record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
width=150 | Year | width=150 | Round | width=50 | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR |
1973 | Not an ICC member | ||||||||||||||
1978 | |||||||||||||||
1982 | |||||||||||||||
1988 | |||||||||||||||
1993 | |||||||||||||||
1997 | No women's ODI status | ||||||||||||||
2000 | |||||||||||||||
2005 | |||||||||||||||
2009 | |||||||||||||||
2013 | |||||||||||||||
2017 | |||||||||||||||
2022 | |||||||||||||||
2025 | |||||||||||||||
Total | 0/13 | 0 Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Twenty20 World Cup Record | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
width=150 | Year | width=150 | Round | width=50 | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR |
2009 | Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||
2010 | |||||||||||||||
2012 | |||||||||||||||
2014 | |||||||||||||||
2016 | |||||||||||||||
2018 | |||||||||||||||
2020 | |||||||||||||||
2023 | |||||||||||||||
2024 | |||||||||||||||
TBD | |||||||||||||||
Total | 0/10 | 0 Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
width=150 | Year | width=150 | Round | width= | Position | width=50 | GP | width=50 | W | width=50 | L | width=50 | T | width=50 | NR |
2013 | Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||
2015 | |||||||||||||||
2018 | |||||||||||||||
2019 | |||||||||||||||
2022 | |||||||||||||||
Total | 0/6 | 0 Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
did not enter (ODI format) | ||||||||
2012 | Group stage | 7/8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
2016 | Group stage | 6/8 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
did not qualify (T20I format) | ||||||||
2024 | Qualified | |||||||
Total | 3/9 | 0 Titles | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Year | Round | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Tie | NR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACC Women's Tournament | ||||||||
2007 | Runners-Up | 2/8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship | ||||||||
Semi-finals | 3/12 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Semi-finals | 4/10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
ACC Women's Championship | ||||||||
Semi-finals | 3/11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
ACC Women's Premier | ||||||||
2014 | Group Stage | 4/6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | Runners-Up | 5/5 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Year | Round | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Tie | NR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | First Round | 5/8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
2014 | Quarter-finals | 5/10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | Quarter-finals | 2/2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
List of current broadcasters:
List of current broadcasters:
Event | Period | Television Rights | Streaming Rights | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conglomerate | Network | Conglomerate | Platform | |||
First Class Cricket | Men's Elite Trophy | 2024 | None | CAN Youtube Channel | ||
List A Cricket | PM Cup | |||||
Manmohan Memorial National One-Day Cup | ||||||
T20 Cricket | Prime Minister Cup Women's National Tournament |
List of current broadcasters:
Event | Period | Television Rights | Streaming Rights | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conglomerate | Network | Conglomerate | Platform | ||||
Pokhara Premier League | |||||||
Dhangadhi Premier League | |||||||
Saptari Premier League |
List of current broadcasters:
List of current broadcasters:
Event | Period | Television Rights | Streaming Rights | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conglomerate | Network | Conglomerate | Platform | ||||
International Cricket Council | 2024–2027[27] [28] [29] | Disney Star | Star Sports | None | |||
Asian Cricket Council | 2024-2031[30] | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
International Cricket In India | 2023–2028[31] | Viacom18 | Sports18 | None | |||
International Cricket in South Africa | 2024–2031[32] | ||||||
International Cricket in England | 2022–2028[33] | Culver Max Entertainment | Sony Sports Network | None | |||
International Cricket in Sri Lanka | 2023–2027[34] | ||||||
International Cricket in New Zealand | 2024-2031[35] | ||||||
International Cricket in Australia | 2023-2030[36] | Disney Star | Star Sports | None | |||
International Cricket in Pakistan | 2024[37] | Dream11 | DD Sports (FTA) (Only Test, ODIs and T20Is against India) | None | |||
International Cricket in West Indies | 2021-2024[38] | ||||||
International Cricket in Zimbabwe | |||||||
International Cricket in Bangladesh | |||||||
International Cricket in Afghanistan | 2024-2027[39] | WBD India | Eurosport India | None |
List of current broadcasters:
Event | Period | Television Rights | Streaming Rights | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conglomerate | Network | Conglomerate | Platform | ||||
Indian Premier League | 2023–2027[40] | Disney Star | Star Sports | None | |||
Women's Premier League | 2023–2027[41] | Viacom18 | Sports18 | ||||
SA20 | 2023–2033[42] | ||||||
Big Bash League | 2023–2030 | Disney Star | Star Sports | None | |||
Women's Big Bash League | 2023–2030 | ||||||
Lanka Premier League | 2024[43] [44] | ||||||
Global T20 Canada | 2024[45] | ||||||
Caribbean Premier League | TBA | ||||||
Women's Caribbean Premier League | |||||||
Pakistan Super League | 2024[46] | Dream11 | None | None | |||
Abu Dhabi T10 League | |||||||
2024-2027 | WBD India | Eurosport India | None | ||||
British Columbia T10 Premier League | |||||||
Zambia T10 Premier League | TBD | ||||||
Major League Cricket | 2024[47] | Culver Max Entertainment | Sony Sports Network | None | |||
2021–present | |||||||
The Women's Hundred | |||||||
Oman T20 | Dream11 | None | None | ||||
International League T20 | 2023–2033 | Zee Entertainment Enterprises | Zee Network | None |