SAFF Women's Championship: India-Pakistan to take on in opening match
The seventh edition of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship is kicking off at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu today.
ANFA shared that Nepal along with the Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are taking part in the championship.
The final match of the championship is scheduled to take place on October 30.
According to ANFA, the participating teams have been divided into two groups. Defending champion Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are placed in Group 'A', while Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives are in Group 'B'.
The opening match of the tournament will be held between India and Pakistan today. Nepal will take on Bhutan on Friday.
NPL auction concludes
The auction for the Nepal Premier League (NPL) concluded in Kathmandu on Sunday, with eight franchise teams securing their lineups for the upcoming season. Each team purchased three players in Grade A, four in Grade B, and three in Grade C. Out of the 164 players who participated in the auction, 80 players were sold to various teams.
Eight marquee players were already snapped up by the teams, including Kushal Malla for Chitwan Rhinos, Sompal Kami for Karnali Yaks, Rohit Kumar Paudel for Lumbini Lions, Dipendra Singh Airee for Sudurpaschim Royals, Sandeep Lamichhane for Biratnagar Kings, Aasif Sheikh for Janakpur Bolts, Karan KC for Kathmandu Gurkhas, and Kushal Bhurtel for Pokhara Avengers.
Wicketkeeper Anil Kumar Sah was the most sought-after player, with bids from all eight franchise teams. Gulsan Jha, Lokesh Bam, and Rupesh Singh also attracted bids from seven teams each.
Below are the players sold in the NPL auction:
Chitwan Rhinos
Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Sharad Vesawkar, Bipin Rawal, Santosh Karki, Dipesh Shrestha, Amar Singh Rautela, Deepak Bohra, Ranjit Kumar, Gautam KC.
Karnali Yaks
Gulsan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Mausam Dhakal, Arjun Gharti, Dev Khanal, Rit Gautam, Bhuban Karki, Dipendra Rawat, Dipak Dumre, Unish BS Thakuri.
Lumbini Lions
Surya Tamang, Bivek Yadav, Sundeep Jora, Aashutosh Ghiraiya, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Durgesh Gupta, Arjun Saud, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishek Gautam, Bikas Aagri.
Sudurpaschim Royals
Aarif Sheikh, Abhinash Bohra, Binod Bhandari, Ishan Pandey, Arjun Kumal, Khadak Bahadur Bohora, Naresh Budhayer, Amit Shrestha, Naren Saud.
Biratnagar Kings
Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Basir Ahmad, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Jitendra Kumar Mukhiya, Anil Kharel, Dipak Bohora, Subhash Bhandari, Naren Bhatta, Mrinal Gurung.
Janakpur Bolts
Lalit Rajvanshi, Anil Kumar Sah, Rupesh K Singh, Aakash Tripathi, Kishor Mahato, Shubh Kansakar, Sher Malla, Hemant Dhami, Arniko Prasad Yadav, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar.
Kathmandu Gurkhas
Shahab Alam, Bhim Sharki, Rashid Khan, Shankar Rana, Dipesh Prasad Kandel, Sumit Maharjan, Krishna Karki, Bivek KC, Pratik Shrestha, Raju Rizal.
Pokhara Avengers
Sagar Dhakal, Akash Chand, Kiran Kumar Thangunna, Narayan Joshi, Bipin Khatri, Dilip Nath, Trit Raj Das, Sunam Gautam, Dinesh Kharel, Amrit Gurung.
Chelsea Inter-School Road Race: Budhanilkantha School triumphs
The 4th Chelsea Inter-School Road Race witnessed an impressive display of young talent, with students from various schools across the Kathmandu Valley competing in a 4.7 km race. The event brought together both boys’ and girls’ teams in a spirited competition, with Budhanilkantha School emerging as the overall champion.
High-profile guests, including Mohd Firdaus Azman, Charge’d Affairs from the Embassy of Malaysia, graced the event. In his address, Azman encouraged the participants to pursue excellence, emphasizing the importance of hard work and dedication. Also present were Sannani Lama, Deputy Mayor of Gokarneswor Municipality, Nandalal Shrestha, Ward Chairperson of Gokarneswor-8, Baikuntha Manandhar, Olympian and South Asian marathon record holder, and Kiran Chemjong, captain of Nepal’s national football team. Additionally, officials such as Raju Pandey, Deputy Superintendent of Police from Boudha Police Station, Rajesh Karki, Senior Sub-Inspector from Gokarneswor Police Station, and Jitendra Shrestha, Chief of Jorpati Traffic Police, were in attendance. Representatives from the Nepal Athlete Association and a medical team from Nepal Medical College and Hospital ensured the event ran smoothly and safely.
The competition highlighted the athletic prowess of the students, with the top ten finishers in both the boys’ and girls’ categories showcasing exceptional talent. In the boys’ category, the top performers included Hasta Sunwar from Bright Horizon School, Anuj Mahat from Kankali Secondary School, and Bibek Lama from Budhanilkantha School. The girls’ category saw Sushma Yadav from Budhanilkantha School, Divyata Bhandari from Brihaspati Vidyasadan, and Sushna Thapa from Bright Horizon School leading the pack.
The event culminated with Budhanilkantha School being named the Champion School, a fitting recognition for their dominance in both boys’ and girls’ categories. The race was a memorable celebration of sportsmanship and young athletic talent, further elevated by the presence of distinguished guests and the fierce competitive spirit displayed by all participants.
ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup: Nepal beat UAE by six wickets
Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by six wickets in their first match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup on Friday.
The match was held at the Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka.
Chasing the target of 116 runs, Nepal made it in 16.1 overs at the loss of four wickets.
Samjhana Khadka was the top scorer for Nepal with 72 runs. She hit 11 fours in her 45-ball innings.
Likewise, Rubina Chhetri scored 10 runs while other batters failed to score in double digits.
For the UAE, Kavisha Egodage took three wickets while Lavanya Kenny claimed one wicket.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, the UAE scored 115 runs at the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.
Indu Barma took the highest three wickets for Nepal. Kritika Marasini, Sabnam Rai and Kabita Joshi claimed one wicket each.
Nepal will play their second match against Pakistan on July 21.
