Renowned Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has arrived in Nepal to play for the Karnali Yaks in the Nepal Premier League (NPL).
Dhawan, a left-handed opening batter, landed in Kathmandu on Friday evening and was warmly welcomed at Tribhuvan International Airport by officials from the Karnali Yaks team.
Dhawan is the biggest name in this year’s NPL. He has an illustrious career, having played a pivotal role in India’s triumphs in the 2013 Champions Trophy and the Asia Cups in 2016 and 2018. Additionally, he won the IPL title with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In T20 Internationals for India, Dhawan has scored 1,759 runs in 66 matches. Across all T20 formats, he has played 334 matches, amassing 9,797 runs, including 2 centuries and 70 half-centuries. In the IPL alone, he has scored an impressive 6,769 runs.
Karnali Yaks’ roster also includes other international players such as Babar Hayat from Hong Kong, Chadwick Walton from the West Indies, and Zeeshan Maqsood from Oman, all of whom have already arrived in Nepal.
As of now, 40 international players from 15 countries have been signed for the NPL. Out of them, 28 players from 12 countries have arrived in Nepal.
According to tournament regulations, each team must have at least four foreign players, with a maximum of six allowed depending on availability.
For the NPL, Pokhara Avengers and Janakpur Bolts have each signed six international players, while Karnali Yaks and Sudurpaschim Royals have signed four each. The remaining four teams have included five foreign players each in their squads.
