Everyone in Nepal may not have a passion for cricket. But every single Nepali is crazy about Nepali cricket. The next ten days are going to be epic for Nepali fans. For those crazy people, Everest Premier League cricket is happening.
One of the biggest cricketing events with the title sponsor Wai Wai (Noodles). Officially called Wai Wai Everest Premier League 2016 is supposed to be a leg of the previously held Nepal Premier League in 2014. I call it one of the biggest events in the sense that almost each Nepali cricket star is playing in the tournament. Likes of Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan, Basant Regmi, Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Binod Bhandari and many more stars.
Young Cricketer Sandeep Lamichane is exceptional while he is playing in Australia with the big hype. Playing along with Michael Clarke is also a huge dream for every cricketer. Let us wish him luck. Though most noteworthy, each and every cricket fan will be missing his action in EPL. Unlike the big stars, local players who have been playing for their region also come through to prove their cricketing skills. Knock knock to the national team must be their next wish list.
First of all, many thanks to Zohra Sports Management (ZSM) and the man behind it Mr Aamir Akhtar. Second thanks to Kantipur Media Group and the team. Probably, this is not a one-man show but leading from the front makes a difference. So hats off to ZSM, KMG and all those associated with the events. I believe there will be a killer of the events starting from 24th September till October 3. I know, there are lots of talks going in and around the events. But I would rather be talking about all the positive aspects of the tournament as much as I can. I understand the love for the game of cricket is one thing and writing on Social Media is another thing. Especially the negative aspects. Negative aspects tend to be growing faster on Social Media.
The Everest Premier League will consequently end on October 3, 2016. We will have one big team as a winner. Maybe, the big cash prize money and also the lots of talents grooming up. Furthermore, as cricket fans, we will always love to see the big events. This tournament itself is a never-ending hope for every cricket lover in the country. I call it never-ending hope due to the present cricket scenario of Nepal. Forget the current issues regarding the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Things will be alright with time. So let’s be a bit distinct. And let’s talk about the hopes and challenges that will probably mark the impact of Wai Wai Everest Premier League T20-2016.
The hopes
The very first and most noteworthy hope is that the game of cricket runs at its own pace. If Sudur Pashchimanchal Academy Cup (SPA cup) cricket can happen, If EPL can happen anything big can happen for Nepali Cricket. The hope continues that similar kinds of tournaments will happen regularly.
And for me, another hope is the live broadcast of all the matches. Let’s not talk about the quality. Nobody is perfect right from the beginning. Hoping for the Star Sports-type coverage is useless. Let’s appreciate Kantipur Media Group. Especially relevant is that they need to continue the love and support of the game. The quality will surely be better with time. Who knows one day we may overcome the Star Sports hype.
The tournament will have a lot of rising cricketing skills. Likes of Sourav Khanal, Susan Bhari, Raju Rijal, Sandeep Sunar, and Hasim Ansari are all set to challenge their seniors. If they perform well, Team Nepal will have good bench strength.
The match fee is good enough. Even a regional player bags 40K bucks at the end of the tournament.
The Challenges
Every event or tournament leaves challenges. This Everest Premier League is also not an exception. The challenge to Zohara Sports Managements is to continue the future editions. They promised to add more such as players bidding, and foreign players’ involvement. Hope they will succeed.
Kantipur Media Group broadcasts every single match of EPL. Nepali cricket spectators will expect more from the country’s ace broadcaster. The quality of commentary, the quality of broadcasting and most of all the continuity.
Another challenge is with Team Nepal and Paras Khadka. A player like Nurdhoj Sen, who once was compared to legendary Sachin Tendulkar is also a part of the EPL team. If he can play tremendously at the underage level, he can flourish furthermore. Players like him need the exposure. And the exposure can only be provided by Team Nepal. Skipper Paras Khadka and the players association can play a vital role in this. Let’s hope especially the skipper Paras Khadka will have the guts to drop the seniors who are not doing well to give exposure to the upcoming talents.
Finally, Everest Premier League has started and eventually finishes on October 3. As a cricket lover, we will see one big tournament, one big hope and of course a step further. Nepali cricket is in our hearts. No matter what happens we will always be there for the game. Out of the thousands of bad things, we always find a good reason to love and support Nepali cricket. For the negativity, there are people with politics in mind. For us Let’s cheer the gentlemen’s game. Let’s take everything positive from the tournament. Cheers cricket, Cheers EPL
