KATHMANDU
Republica
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Monday announced the names of the sponsors who will be sponsoring the regional teams during the National Cricket Tournament starting May 3.
Four of the regional teams will be sponsored by renowned institutions of Nepal, CAN said. Kantipur group will sponsor Region No 3 (Kathmandu), Chelsea International Academy will sponsor Region No 4 (Bhairahawa) and Dish Home Pvt Ltd will sponsor Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) while Region No 2 (Birgunj) will wear the logo of Prime Life Insurance.
CAN Vice-president Upendra Bhattarai, Secretary Tarak Mani Dixit, members Pawan Agrawal and Arun Satyal signed the contract with the sponsors. Kathmandu, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj will receive Rs 300,000 every year for three years as per the agreement. Birgunj will receive Rs 150,000 annually for three years. The amount provided to Birgunj will be increased by 10 percent every year.
During the signing ceremony, Prime Life Insurance and Birgunj unveiled their jersey which will be worn during the tournament.
CAN President, Binay Raj Pandey, hailed the move as a good step for promoting cricket in Nepal. “This is the first time that regional teams have received sponsorship.”
Pandey further added that the money provided by the sponsors will be directly used by the regions but said if they fail to use the amount properly, the sponsors can terminate the deal. “If the regions manage the amount provided to them properly then the contract can be renewed.”
CAN has announced a hike in cash prize for the National Tournament in both One Day and T20 categories. The winners in the One Day category will bag a purse of Rs 150,000 while the runners-up will receive Rs 100,000. In the T20 category, the winner will be awarded with Rs 100,000 and the runners-up will get Rs 75,000.
The National Cricket Tournament will kick off Tuesday in the capital. Region No 2 (Prime Life Birgunj) will take on Region No 8 (Pokhara) at the TU cricket ground while Region No 1 (Biratnagar) will face Region No 4 (Chelsea Academy Bhairahawa) at Pulchowk engineering ground.
