Cricket in Nepal () is the country's most popular and widely followed sport which has gained popularity over the years. 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 neighbouring 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 3,400 senior cricket clubs and over 35,000 registered players in Nepal.
History
Beginnings 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.
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.
ICC and ACC Membership 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.
1996-Present Nepal became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1996, 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.1996 ACC Trophy at CricketEurope 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 an ODI status for the next 5 years after the win against PNG in ICC ODI World Cup Qualifier at Zimbabwe.
Administration
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.
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.Peter Della Penan (26 April 2016). "ICC suspends Cricket Association of Nepal" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
The ICC welcomed the elections of the board held in September 2019 and formally reinstated the board on a conditional basis on 14 October. On 13 October 2019, the ICC lifted its suspension on the Cricket Association of Nepal.
National teams National teams of Nepal Nepal (Men's) Nepal (Women's) Nepal U-19 (Men's) Nepal U-19 (Women's) Nepal A Men Nepal A women
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 an associate member. In 1990 AD (2047 BS), the CAN became one of the members of the ACC. There are other Nepali national teams, such as the Nepal A team and under-19 team.
Performance The following list includes the performance of all of Nepal's national teams at major competitions.
Men's senior team
TournamentAppearance in finals Lastappearance Bestperformance ICC Men's T20 World Cup 0 out of 9 2024 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 0 out of 7 2022 2023 Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 1 out of 1 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 0 out of 12 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 0 out of 1 2019-2023 Asia Cup 0 out of 16 2023 ACC Men's Premier Cup 1 out of 2 2023 Asian Games 0 out of 3 2022 South Asian Games Cricket 0 out of 2 2019 ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 0 out of 5 2023
Women's senior team
TournamentAppearance in finals Lastappearance Bestperformance Women's Asia Cup 0 out of 9 2024 ACC Women's Premier Cup 0 out of 1 2024 Asian Games Cricket 0 out of 3 2014 South Asian Games Cricket 0 out of 2 2019 ACC Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 0 out of 1 2023
Men's A team
Nepal A matches List A matches T20 matches OTHERS matches Date Opponent W L D W L NR/T W L NR/T 18-22 February 2024 vs ------120 29 March-07 April 2024 vs Ireland Wolves-3-120---
Men's U-19 team
TournamentAppearance in finals Lastappearance Bestperformance Under-19 Cricket World Cup 0 out of 15 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier 9 out of 15 2024 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup - 2023 ACC Men's Under-19 Premier Cup 1 out of 3 2023
Wonen's U-19 team
TournamentAppearance in finals Lastappearance Bestperformance Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup ACC Women's Under-19 Premier Cup Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier1 out of 2 2025 Women's Under-19 T20 Asia Cup
Men's U-16 team TournamentAppearance in finals Lastappearance BestperformanceACC Under-16 Elite Cup2 out of 2(2010, 2012)ACC Under-16 Premier Cup1 out of 1(2014)ACC Under-16 East Zone Cup 4 out of 4(2017, 2019, 2023, 2025)
Affiliated Province Cricket Associations
There are currently 7 provincial cricket associations and 45 district cricket associations affiliated with CAN.
Team Logo Governing Body Men's Women's Senior U-19 U-16 U-14 Senior U-19 U-16 U-14 Koshi Province Koshi Province Koshi Province Cricket Association 2018– Madhesh Province Madhesh Province Madhesh Province Cricket Association 2018– Bagmati Province Bagmati Province Bagmati Province Cricket Association 2018– Gandaki Province Gandaki Province Gandaki Province Cricket Association 2018– Lumbini Province Lumbini Province Lumbini Province Cricket Association 2018– Karnali Province Karnali Province Karnali Province Cricket Association 2018– Sudurpaschim Province Sudurpashchim Province Sudurpashchim Province Cricket Association 2018–
Organisation of cricket in modern Nepal
International cricket
Men's National 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.
One Day International- The Nepalese team took part in their first one-day international on 1 August 2018 against the Netherlands national team at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen and registered its first win two days later against them at the same ground. Nepal hosted its first one-day international against the United States national team at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on 8 February 2020. Nepal is currently competing in the 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 which is their first one-day international tournament. T20 International- Nepal faced Hong Kong in their first Twenty20 international game on 16 March 2014 at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 which was their first and only appearance at a major ICC event. Nepal won two of their three matches in the tournament with wins against Hong Kong and Afghanistan and a loss against Bangladesh (their first international match against a full member) as they failed to make it past the first round on net run rate. Nepal holds permanent T20I since 1 January 2019 after a decision by the International Cricket Council to T20I status to all member nations.
Women's National 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.
Domestic Cricket
Men's Domestic Cricket
First Class competition Jay Trophy -
Limited overs competitions PM Cup -
Twenty20 competitions Nepal Premier League - The Nepal Premier League (NPL) () also known as Siddhartha Bank NPL for sponsorship reason, is a men's professional T20 cricket league in Nepal. NPL is one of the major sports league in Nepal. Founded by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the league features eight provinces/cities-based franchise teams. The tournament will use a round-robin format, with the top teams advancing to the playoffs. National T20 Championship
Youth competitions Men's Under-19 National Cricket Tournament TB Shah Memorial U16 National Cricket Tournament Manmohan Memorial U16 National Cricket Tournament Under 14 National Cricket Championship
Women's Domestic Cricket
Twenty20 competitions Prime Minister Cup Women's National Tournament Lalitpur Mayor Women's Cup
Youth competitions Maiyadevi Girls Under-19 Cup National Cricket Tournament Sushil Koirala Memorial Under-19 Girls Cricket Tournament Girl's Under-16 National Cricket Championship
Stadiums
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 International Cricket Stadium is the only other ground to host international cricket having hosted the women's tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games.
Active Stadiums Ground PhotoCityDistrictProvinceCapacityODlT20INotesMatchesFirst matchMatchesFirst matchTribhuvan University International Cricket GroundKirtipurKathmanduBagmati15,000345 February 2020485 December 2019Mulpani International Cricket GroundKageshwari-ManoharaKathmanduBagmati4,000129 April 20231323 October 2023Pokhara International Cricket Stadium PokharaKaskiGandaki5,000+0Not Yet42 December 2019Proposed expansion