Kathmandu, Oct 17: The Nepal Premier League (NPL) is set to implement stricter rules on players' eligibility, corruption prevention, and the tournament operations, following its recognition by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Paras Khadka, Secretary of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), shared about this during a press conference held today at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
According to Khadka, necessary arrangements will be made to ensure that the NPL runs in accordance with ICC standards.
Under the new rules, any foreign player participating in the tournament is mandated to obtain a 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) from the respective national cricket board. Likewise, the ICC rules on combating corruption will be implemented to prevent match-fixing, spot-fixing and other forms of corruption.
Khadka added that to prevent potential irregularities in franchise cricket, the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit's rules will be strictly enforced throughout the tournament.
According to him, under ICC provisions, players who have participated in any illegal or unsanctioned cricket tournaments within the six months before the NPL begins will not be eligible to compete, in accordance with ICC regulations.
Furthermore, foreign players who have retired from international cricket are also required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their respective cricket boards before taking part in the NPL.
“Foreign players who have retired from international cricket will need to get a mandatory NOC from the cricket board of their respective country to play in the NPL. Players who have participated in tournaments not approved by the ICC or the relevant cricket board within six months before the start of the NPL will not be eligible to play in this season,” Secretary Khadka said.
We have to submit the review report of this competition within 60 days after the third edition ends.
Rules related to foreign players
This time, each franchise team will be allowed to have minimum six and maximum eight foreign players. In the final 11 players participating in the match, it will be mandatory to include seven Nepali and four foreign players.
Secretary Khadka informed that preparations to implement the decision review system (DRS) in NPL have reached the final stage. He mentioned that a formal decision on this will be announced in a few days.
“Discussions about implementing DRS in NPL are going on. Formal information on this will be provided by Monday,” said Secretary Khadka.
CAN to host ICC Asia Conference
CAN is going to host the ICC Asia Conference in Kathmandu from November 19 to 21.
Secretary Khadka informed that the conference will be attended by the presidents, secretaries, and chief executive officers of the Test and Associate cricket boards of Asia. According to him, there will be discussions at the conference on the policy for development of cricket in Asia. (RSS)
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