Cricket Association of Nepal
National governing body of cricket in Nepal
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Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is the official governing body of cricket in Nepal. Its headquarters are situated in Mulpani, Kathmandu. It is Nepal's representative at the International Cricket Council[1] and has been an associate member since 1996 AD (2053 BS). It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
| नेपाल क्रिकेट सङ्घ | |
| |
| Sport | Cricket |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | |
| Abbreviation | CAN |
| Founded | 1946 (2003 BS) |
| Affiliation | International Cricket Council |
| Affiliation date | 1988 AD (2045 BS) Affiliate 1996 AD (2053 BS) Associate |
| Regional affiliation | Asian Cricket Council |
| Affiliation date | 1990 AD (2047 BS) |
| Headquarters | Mulpani Cricket Stadium |
| Location | Kathmandu |
| President | Chatur Bahadur Chand |
| Vice president | Roshan Kumar Singh |
| Secretary | Paras Khadka |
| General Manager | Utsav Dhungana |
| Men's coach | Stuart Law |
| Women's coach | Harshal Pathak |
| Sponsor | Naasa securities,Xtreme Energy Drink, T10 Sports (Kit sponsor) |
| Official website | |
| cricketnepal | |
| Other key staff | Sajan Lamichhane |
 | |
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.[2]
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.[3][4]
The ICC welcomed the elections of the board held in September 2019.[5] On 13 October 2019, the ICC lifted its suspension of the Cricket Association of Nepal,[6] and formally reinstated the board on a conditional basis on 14 October.[7]
National teams
Men's white-ball team: Nepal played their first One-Day International in August 2018 and has since won multiple ICC tournaments, including three T20 World Cups. As of April 2025, Rohit Paudel leads the ODI & T20I team.[8]
Women's team: Nepal qualified for their first Women's T20 global qualifier in 2025. They haven't won any women's tournaments yet, but they've been steadily rising in recent years. As of April 2025, the team is captained by Indu Barma.[9]
Under-19s team: Men's U-19 and Women's U-19 teams regularly compete in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cups. The most recent captains (2025) are Naren Bhatta for the men's team[10] and Puja Mahato for the women's team.[11]
Reserves (A team): The Nepal A is the second-tier men's team, focusing on developing players and providing them with exposure through tours and warm-up matches. The team plays in various formats to prepare players for the senior team.[12]
Disability teams: Cricket Australia is committed to creating inclusive environments for people with disabilities. The teams are not directly administered by the Cricket Association of Nepal, but they consistently receive its support and the teams include:
These teams participate in various national and international competitions, promoting the growth of cricket among players with disabilities.[13]
Province Cricket Associations
Cricket Association of Nepal is an administrative organisation responsible for cricket in Nepal. CAN has 7 member provincial cricket associations.[14] Each provincial cricket association affiliated with the Cricket Association of Nepal selects a representative team to participate in Nepal's major domestic cricket tournaments each season.
Province members
| No. | Name | Represents | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koshi Province Cricket Association | Koshi | Sarwajit Pandey |
| 2 | Madhesh Province Cricket Association | Madhesh | Sunil Mahaseth |
| 3 | Bagmati Province Cricket Association | Bagmati | Paras Khadka |
| 4 | Gandaki Province Cricket Association | Gandaki | Sanjay Kant Sigdel |
| 5 | Lumbini Province Cricket Association | Lumbini | Binay Raj Bhandari (Acting President) |
| 6 | Karnali Province Cricket Association | Karnali | Padam Bahadur Khadka |
| 7 | Sudurpashchim Province Cricket Association | Sudurpashchim | Basudev Joshi |
Domestic teams
| Provincial Teams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Province/Teams | Men's side | Women's side | |
| Koshi | Koshi Province Men's Cricket Team | Koshi Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Madhesh | Madhesh Province Men's Cricket Team | Madhesh Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Bagmati | Bagmati Province Men's Cricket Team | Bagmati Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Gandaki | Gandaki Province Men's Cricket Team | Gandaki Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Lumbini | Lumbini Province Men's Cricket Team | Lumbini Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Karnali | Karnali Province Men's Cricket Team | Karnali Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Sudurpashchim | Sudurpashchim Province Men's Cricket Team | Sudurpashchim Province Women's Cricket Team | |
| Departmental Teams | |||
| APF Club | APF Men's Cricket Team | APF Women's Cricket Team | |
| Tribhuwan Army | Tribhuwan Men's Cricket Team | Tribhuwan Army Women's Cricket Team | |
| Nepal Police | Nepal Police Men's Cricket Team | Nepal Police Women's Cricket Team | |
CAN maintains a strong yet independent relationship with the Cricket Players Association Nepal to ensure proper players' rights, welfare provisions, and pay agreements.
Domestic Tournaments
Province Level
The CAN organise following Provincial-level tournaments:
Men's SeniorMen's Youth
|
Women's SeniorWomen's Youth
|
Franchise Level
Men's Senior |
Women's Senior
|
Current title holders
| Tournament | Most recent | Champions | Runners-up | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior (men's) | ||||
| Jay Trophy | 2025–26 (qual.) | Nepal Police | Tribhuwan Army | 2026–27 |
| Prime Minister One Day Cup | 2026 | Tribhuwan Army | Sudurpashchim Province | 2027 |
| National T20 Championship | 2024 | Lumbini Province | Karnali Province | 2025 |
| Nepal Premier League (NPL) | 2025 | Lumbini Lions | Sudurpaschim Royals | 2026 |
| Senior (women's) | ||||
| Women's Elite Cup | 2025 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Women's Prime Minister Cup | 2024–25 | APF Club | Sudurpashchim Province | 2025 |
| Lalitpur Mayor's Cup | 2024 (qual.) | APF Club | Sudurpashchim Province | 2025 |
| Women Champions League | 2019 [15] | Chitwan Rhinos Women | Kat Queens Kathmandu | TBD |
| Youth (men's) | ||||
| Men's Under-19 National Cricket Tournament | 2024 | Sudurpashchim Province U19 | Lumbini Province U19 | 2025 |
| TB Shah Memorial Cup Under-16 National Cricket Tournament | 2025 | Madhesh Province U16 | Bagmati Province U16 | 2026 |
| Manmohan Memorial Under-16 National Cricket Tournament | 2024 | Madhesh Province U16 | Sudurpashchim Province U16 | 2025 |
| Under 14 National Cricket Championship | 2025 | Madhesh U14 | Lumbini U14 | TBD |
| Youth (women's) | ||||
| Maiyadevi Girls Under-19 Cup National Cricket Tournament | 2024 | Bagmati Province U19 | Gandaki Province U19 | 2025 |
| Sushil Koirala Memorial Under-19 Girls Cricket Tournament | 2024[16] | Sudurpashchim Province U19 | Kohalpur Mayor XI U-19 | 2025 |
| Girl's Under-16 National Cricket Championship | 2024 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Governance of CAN
Presidents
| No. | Name | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jay Kumar Nath Shah | 1966 – September 2006 [17] | One of the longest serving cricket association president in the world. Association was almost non existent till the mid-1990s. |
| 2 | Binay Raj Pandey | September 2006 – December 2011[18] | A long serving cricket administrator with business background. His committee was dissolved by the government for his failure to hold an election, a requirement of International Cricket Committee. |
| 3 | Tanka Angbuhaang | December 2011 – June 2014[19][20] | Appointed by the Nepali government after Binaya Raj Pandey's dissolution, he brought in coach Pubudu Dassanayake and fostered ties with Indian cricket teams. Despite controversies, Nepal's cricket team reached their first T20 World Cup under his leadership. |
| Interim | Tarini Bikram Shah | June 2014 – November 2014[19] | |
| Binay Raj Panday | November 2014 – April 2016[21] | Appointed after the dissolution of Tanka Angabuhang's committee, his tenure saw repeated dissolutions and election failures, leading to CAN's suspension by the ICC. | |
| 6 | Chatur Bahadur Chand | September 2019 – present[22] | He was re-elected as president for second time on 23 September 2023.[23][24][25] |
Between 2016 and 2019, Bhawana Ghimire was CEO of the Cricket Association of Nepal. CAN was suspended during this period for government interventions.[26]
ICC Development Awards
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) was recognised as the Asia Regional Winner for Digital Fan Engagement of the Year at the ICC Development Awards in 2023.[27]
In 2024, CAN received the Global ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year Award, in recognition of its expanding digital presence across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and others.[28][29]
During the reporting period, CAN's digital campaigns reached approximately 117 million users across platforms.[28][30] Facebook watch time exceeded 13.4 million minutes, reflecting increased audience engagement on the platform.[31][28] YouTube performance also grew significantly, with watch hours rising by 277% to more than 2.13 million hours.[30][29] In addition, CAN gained over 420,000 new followers across its digital platforms during this period.[28][31]
Controversies
Despite unprecedented success on the field, including victories over Hong Kong and Afghanistan at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, Nepal went through some turmoil off the field in 2014 with a boycott of the national one-day tournament by the national players with the captain Paras Khadka slamming the Cricket Association of Nepal for their treatment of national players.[32]
The board then came under an investigation by the Commission for Investigation into Abuse of Authority.[33] Later, CIAA filed a case against 18 CAN members including the then President Tanka Aangabuhang, after finding them guilty of misusing around Rs. 14.31 million, which was to be used for developing the game in the country instead.[34][35] This resulted in several CAN members stepping down from their posts on moral grounds.
In May, members of CAN filed a no-confidence motion against president Tanka Angbuhang, after the organization of the Nepal Premier League was outsourced to a private sports management firm.[36]
In March, the CAN had said Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake would get a year's extension to his contract. However, he was only given a three-month extension, which ran out later June.[37] The change in terms, CAN secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal said, was due to the board being under investigation. The coach left the country on 4 June due to unresolved contractual issues.[38]
But the Government of Nepal intervened and handed Dassanayake a year's extension. Dassanayake returned to Nepal on 29 August after being invited by the government and was reappointed coach of Nepal's senior and Under-19 cricket teams.[39]
After all these controversies in the year 2014, the Nepal Government dissolved the Angbuhang led CAN committee on 6 November and formed an ad hoc committee under former president Binaya Raj Pandey on an interim basis.[21]
As a result of the governmental involvement in its running, the ICC suspended CAN in April 2016,[40] though allowed the national teams to continue playing in international competitions.