The Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) on Saturday released the annual calendar for 2025 that includes the activities of Nepali cricketers. In the annual calendar covering from last January to the upcoming December, the competitions and dates for Nepal’s men’s, women’s, and age-group teams have been revealed. In January and February, major tournaments such as the PM Cup, the Women’s T20 Tri-Nation Tournament, and the ICC Women’s U 19 Cricket have been completed. Nepal’s women’s cricket team is currently on a tour of Uganda to play four-nation cricket. For the Women’s ICC U 19 and the Men’s Asia selection, the closed camp and the National School Cricket Championship are yet to be held.
Similarly, in April, Nepal will participate in a four-nation tournament held internationally in Hong Kong. In that tournament, in addition to Hong Kong, Qatar and Namibia will also participate. The Nepali women’s team will tour Bhutan. Likewise, a three-match one-day series against Afghanistan U 19 and the ICC U 19 Men’s Asia selection are also scheduled for this month. Domestically, the National T20 Championship will be held in April.
In May, Nepal’s ‘A’ team series will take place, and cricket players will also be busy in the 10th National Games. This month, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers are also scheduled. In the tournament held in Thailand, Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, and the UAE will also participate. Nepal will tour Scotland from June 2 to 12 to play in the ICC World Cricket League 2. On that tour, Nepal will also play a T20 series against Scotland. Similarly, Nepal will participate in the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Thailand.
In the upcoming July, the Nepalese cricket team’s preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers will take place in Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Nepal U 19 team will tour Malaysia and Nepal will play in the ACC Men’s U 16 East Zone Cup. Nepal will also prepare for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Australia. In the upcoming September, Nepal’s ‘A’ team will tour India and Bangladesh. Nepal will also play a T20 series against a Test-approved nation in the UAE. This month, Nepal will also participate in a tri nation T20 series in Malaysia that includes the UAE, and the ACC Men’s U 19 Premier Cup is also scheduled.
In the upcoming October, Nepal will go to Oman to play a tri nation series under the ICC World Cricket League 2. Nepal will also participate in the ACC Men’s U 19 Premier Cup. In the upcoming November, the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) will be organized, and Nepal will also participate in the Hong Kong Sixes. In the final month of the year, Nepal will play the ICC World Cricket League 2 on domestic grounds, where Nepal is set to face challenges from Oman and the UAE. Similarly, a five-nation series will also be held in Nepal, and this month Nepal will participate in the 50 over ACC Men’s U 19 Asia Cup. Through its annual calendar, CAN has also announced that it will organize coaching/umpiring courses as well as fielding and fitness camps.
CAN will launch the Municipal Corporation Cup as a new tournament. It has been included in the 2025 calendar released on Saturday, and it is announced that this tournament will take place in December.
In the Municipal Corporation Cup, six metropolitan teams will participate. CAN will allocate players among them, and any player will be allowed to play for any metropolitan corporation. The secretary, Khadka, stated that each metropolitan corporation will organize the tournament in turn.
According to Secretary Khadka, the search process for a new coach for the national men’s cricket team is underway. CAN received 70 applications for the position of head coach, among which two are personalities who have previously served as Nepal’s coach. However, the secretary did not wish to disclose the names of the two.
“We have received 70 applications for the position of Nepal’s head coach, and we are shortlisting them,” said Khadka. “The new coach of Nepal will start his work either during the Prime Minister Cup or, at the latest, from April, and will prepare for League 2.”
Khadka also mentioned that discussions are underway about bringing in a foreign coach and other members for the women’s training team. Next month, the men’s national team is scheduled to go to Hong Kong to play in a four nation tournament. This tour could also be the first tournament for the new coach.
The ICC U 19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifiers are set to be held at Mulpani. The tournament is scheduled by Nepal from April 12 to 28. However, since Nepal’s main cricket ground – the Tribhuvan Cricket Ground in Kirtipur – is under construction, all matches will be played on two grounds in Mulpani.
Secretary Khadka informed that the ICC U 19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifiers will be held at the Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground and the under construction Lower Mulpani Cricket Stadium. According to him, with one and a half months remaining, work on the wickets and the field at Lower Mulpani is progressing at a fast pace.
Seven years ago, although the Prime Minister Cup national tournament was held at Lower Mulpani, no national level tournament has been played there since. This will be the first time international cricket is organized at Lower Mulpani. At Upper Mulpani, the Asia Cup Qualifiers, the T20 World Cup Qualifiers, and bilateral series have already been organized.
Before the ICC U 19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifiers, Nepal will play a three match one-day international youth series against Afghanistan. All those matches will be played at the Upper Mulpani Ground. Construction work on the Tribhuvan Cricket Ground has already begun, and as this work continues when the ICC U 19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifiers commence, the matches are scheduled to be played in Mulpani.
The second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket will be held in November. Prior to that, CAN has announced that an NPL Release Retain event will take place in June and a mini auction in August. The first season of the NPL, which included eight franchise teams, was completed in November–December.
From October 23 to November 4, Nepal will travel to the UAE to play in the World Cup League 2 series against the UAE and the USA. In the first week of November, Nepal will also play Hong Kong Sixes, and thereafter NPL 2 will take place. Secretary Khadka is confident that the Kirtipur Ground will be completed in time for the NPL.
List of Major Events in 2025
January – March
Completed Tournaments:
- PM Cup
- Women’s T20 Tri-Nation Tournament
- ICC Women’s U 19 Cricket Tournament
Ongoing:
- Nepal Women’s Cricket Team’s four-nation tour in Uganda (date unspecified)
April
International Events:
- Four-nation tournament in Hong Kong
- Nepal Women’s Team tour of Bhutan
- Three-match one-day series against Afghanistan U 19 (held before the qualifiers)
- ICC U 19 Men’s Asia Selection
Domestic Event:
- National T20 Championship
Specific Date:
- ICC U 19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifiers at Mulpani – April 12 to April 28
May
Events:
- Nepal ‘A’ Team Series
- 10th National Games (cricket events)
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers in Thailand (featuring teams from Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, and UAE)
June
International Tour:
- ICC World Cricket League 2 in Scotland, including a T20 series against Scotland – June 2 to June 12
Additional Activities:
- NPL Release Retain Event (for Nepal Premier League)
- Participate in the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Thailand (date unspecified)
July
Preparatory & Tour Events:
- Nepalese Cricket Team’s preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Sri Lanka
- Nepal U 19 Team tour to Malaysia
- ACC Men’s U 16 East Zone Cup
- Preparation for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Australia
(All are scheduled in July, but no specific dates are provided.)
August
Event:
- Mini Auction for the Nepal Premier League (NPL)
September
International & Regional Series:
- Nepal ‘A’ Team tour to India and Bangladesh
- T20 series against a Test-approved nation in the UAE
- The tri-nation T20 series in Malaysia (involving the UAE)
- ACC Men’s U 19 Premier Cup
- (All are scheduled in September, but no specific dates are provided.)
October
International Events:
- Nepal’s trip to Oman for a tri-nation series under the ICC World Cricket League 2
- ACC Men’s U19 Premier Cup (if held as a separate event in October)
Specific Date:
- World Cup League 2 series in the UAE – October 23 to November 4
November
Tournaments & Leagues:
- Second Edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL)
- Hong Kong Sixes – First week of November
- NPL 2 (following the Hong Kong Sixes)
(This is a continuation of the World Cup League 2 series, which runs until November 4)
December
Domestic Competitions:
- ICC World Cricket League 2 on domestic grounds (Nepal facing Oman and the UAE)
- Five-nation Series in Nepal
- 50 over ACC Men’s U 19 Asia Cup
- Municipal Corporation Cup – A new tournament featuring six metropolitan teams
