The Nepal Premier League (NPL) Auction held in October 6, 2024 had a participation of total eight teams each of which could bid for 3 Grade A, 4 Grade B and 3 Grade C players each with a purse of Rs 90 Lakhs. The auction was organized in an unique way where a maximum price was set for a player and on the occassion of multiple bids at the maximum price, the decision would be made by a lucky draw. The minimum and maximum prices for A grade players were 10 Lakhs and 15 Lakhs, B grade players were 5 Lakhs and 10 Lakhs and C grade players were 2 Lakhs and 5 Lakhs.

Karnali Yaks seemed lucky in the second half of the auction where they grabbed the top quality players including the big fish Gulshan Jha in the lucky draw due to the multiple biddings for the maximum price. The team coach and former captain of Nepal Cricekt team Gyanendra Malla believed that the luck started favouring Karnali after the lady luck Indu Barma had picked for Karnali in the lucky draw set.

After the end of the auction, this side seemed one of the most balanced side in the overall auction. The reason for this is the players of top quality they've acquired during the auction which are as follows:

Marquee :

• Sompal Kami :

Kami delivers a quality all-round packages whether its bowling those swinging deliveries in the opening spells and bowling in the death overs occasionally or providing reliable and sound technical batting performances in the middle overs. He has been contributing for the national side since long and has gained much match exposures and grabbed top-level experiences inside the cricket field.

With the team management acquiring another top quality all-rounder Gulshan Jha, the combination of these two players are expected to have a massive impact in all of the 3D aspects of batting, bowling and fielding. He believes that if the young players are provided with such pressure situations from now, then it'll help them a lot playing at the highest level in the future according to his interview about the l;auch of Nepal Premier League.

Grade A:

• Gulshan Jha (15L) :

The in-form star all-rounder of the Nepal cricket team Gulshan Kumar Jha was auctioned after a very late second half of the auction. All of the teams except Lumbini Lions bid for Jha at the maximum price i.e. Rs 15 lakhs which had to be decided by a lucky draw. The current secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal and former captain Paras Khadka seemed lucky for the Karnali Yaks where he picked the team in the lucky draw for having the services of star allrounder for the respective team.

Gulshan Jha is having a top-notch performances after that heartbreaking 1 run loss against SouthAfrica in the World Cup. He has backed himself with consistent hard stricking and wicket taking performances in the WCL2 matches gainst Oman and Canada and friendly T20 series against them too. This could be one of the best picks in the auction and Karnali Yaks must havce high expectations about this pick.

• Nandan Yadav (11L) :

A 24 years old young pace bowling sensation, who had shined for Biratnagar Super Kings in the Nepal T20 previously in 2022 has been picked by Karnali Yaks as a grade A category player at the price of Rs 11 lakhs. He had featured for Nepal U19s previously and was a Bagmati Province player too before leaving to Australia for futher development in cricket.

Yadav has been seen clicking 135kmph+ marks deliveries while training in the Australian conditions. While pace sensations like Sompal Kami and Gulshan Jha playing for the same team, he can add more threats to the opposition making the pace attack of the team stronger.

• Dev Khanal (10L) :

Khanal is a young top order batsman who captained Nepal side in the recent Men's U19 Cricket World Cup and delivered crucial knocks. He has also performed consistently throughout the year in the domestic leagues which will be reflected in the upcoming maqtches in the league.

He is a versatile batsman known for his ability to accelerate the run rate and deliver in high-pressure moments. Khanal is now with the national side in Canada where he got to play multiple practice matches with the Canada HP teams where he couldn't deliver that much but that doesn't describe his great form in the domestic circuit. He can be a major boost for the top order for the Karnali Yaks.

Grade B :

• Arjun Gharti (10L) :

Arjun Gharti is a wicketkeeper batsman who played for Karnali Province in the recent PM Cup 2023/24 and delivered consistent performances with some very crucial knocks. Although Karnali Province came out victorious in only one of the 9 league matches, Arjun Gharti scored a total of 243 runs with an average of 34.71 scoring 3 half centuries in the tournament.

Gharti was picked by Karnali Yaks team management in the lucky draw since multiple biddings were there to get his services even at the maximum limit. He has debuted for Nepal A side against Ireland A previously. He has gained match exposures and experiences while training and performing in the local tournaments in India. The stats of Arjun Gharti in the PM Cup 2023/24 looks phenomenal by which the team must have high expectations from his side.

• Mausam Dhakal (10L) :

Dhakal is another player picked at the maximum price who is known for his ability to bowl mystery spin specially off-spin and leg-spin deliveries. He is a versatile player who has already debuted in the national side and did exceptionally well with the Nepal A side against the Ireland A side. 

Moreover, he consistently provided wickets in the domestic league PM Cup playing for the Armed Police Force Club (APFC). He is the major spin boost to the Karnali Yaks this season.

• Rit Gautam (5L) :

A promising young talent who captained the Bagmati Province recently and captained national U19 side previously is a reliable top order batsman known for his ability to accelerate the scoring rate. He scored a total of 223 runs in 9 matches of PM Cup with an avcerage of 24.77 runs including a half century this season.

He can play a crucial roles in building the partnerships and accelerating the scoring rate during this season of Nepal Premier League.

• Bhuvan Karki (5L) :

Bhuvan Karki is an experienced left-arm orthodox spinner and left hand batsman who plays for Armed Police Force Club (APFC). During the PM Cup 2023/24 he bagged 14 wickets with an economy of just 2.79 runs per over. He also scored 100 runs with an average of 14.28 runs.

Karki could play a very important role as he is specialized for economical spells and taking crucial wickets at important stages of the game. His role is to disrupt the opposition's momentum by taking early breakthroughs and maintaining control in the death overs.

Grade C :

• Dipendra Rawat (3L) :

Rawat is a Karnali Province player who is known for his off break deliveries and an ability to bat alongside. He took 14 wickets playing for the Karnali Province in the recent PM Cup with an economy of 4.77 runs per over. In case of batting he scored 96 runs in the overall tournament.

With his inclusion in the Karnali side itself, the team is expected to have crucial breakthroughs at the middle overs.

• Deepak Dumre (3L) :

Deepak Dumre is another youngster who recently featured in the ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup and plays for Gandaki Province. He scored 31 runs in 3 matches during the ICC U19 World Cup with an average of 10.33 in the overall tournament. 

NPL seems a very good aspect for such young and promising talents to grow and showcase their talent which guides to their development in cricket fields.

• Unish Bikram Singh (2L) :

Another young promising talent from Karnali Province itself has been picked by the Karnali Yaks team management for demanding his services of right-arm off break bowling. He has that variations in his deliveries to deceive the opposition batsman with a low economy rate.

During the Prime Minister Cup, he has bagged 4 wickets in 6 matches played with a low economy of just 3.69 runs per over. It is a great platform for such players provided that they'll get to experience those top level match exposures among quality cricketers which will be very beneficial for the development of young cricketers. 

Full Squad List of Karnali Yaks (excluding 4 international and a local player yet to be revealed) :

1. Sompal Kami
2. Gulshan Jha
3. Nandan Yadav
4. Dev Khanal
5. Arjun Gharti
6. Mausam Dhakal
7. Rit Gautam
8. Bhuvan Karki
9. Dipendra Rawat
10. Deepak Dumre
11. Unish Bikram Singh