Karnali Yaks have signed South African star batter David Miller for the third season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), the franchise announced on Friday.
The 37-year-old left-handed middle-order batter is the sixth overseas player to join Karnali Yaks for the tournament.
The franchise had earlier signed Pakistan’s T20 captain Sahibzada Farhan and announced the signing of Pakistani all-rounder Hussain Talat on Thursday.
Scotland all-rounder Mark Watt, who impressed for Karnali Yaks last season, will return for the third edition.
Grihendra Ghimire, chairman of Karnali Yaks, said the franchise had signed prominent international players in response to supporters’ expectations.
“Our supporters had high expectations of Karnali Yaks, and we have managed to sign a world-renowned player like David Miller to meet those expectations,” Ghimire said.
He said Miller’s arrival had strengthened Karnali’s prospects of winning the title and could help promote Nepal’s tourism through the NPL.
“In the first season, we signed Shikhar Dhawan, which brought considerable attention to Nepali cricket and the NPL. This time, we have signed David Miller, Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat. I believe this will contribute significantly not only to Karnali Yaks but also to promoting Nepal’s tourism through the NPL,” Ghimire said. “Our focus is now on winning the title.”
Miller has built a strong reputation playing for South Africa and several major franchise leagues around the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), Australia’s Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League.
In the IPL, he has represented Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings (formally Kings XI Punjab) and Gujarat Titans. He was a key player when Gujarat Titans won their maiden IPL title in 2022.
Miller has scored 2,804 runs in 140 T20 internationals for South Africa, including two centuries and nine half-centuries.
Across 584 T20 matches overall, he has accumulated 12,435 runs, with four centuries and 53 half-centuries.
In 2017, Miller smashed a record-breaking T20 international century off just 35 balls against Bangladesh. He also scored a 38-ball century for Punjab Kings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.
The third edition of the NPL begins on October 26, with Sompal Kami serving as Karnali Yaks’ marquee player. Nepal national team all-rounder Gulshan Jha and bowler Nandan Yadav are also part of the franchise.
Karnali have additionally signed Bipin Sharma, Unish Bikram Singh and Dipendra Rawat from Karnali Province, along with Pawan Sarraf, Yuvraj Khatri, Deepak Dumre, Surya Tamang, Diwan Pun, Shivam Tiwari and Sachin Sharma.