KATHMANDU, APRIL 10
Nepal Basketball League Pvt Ltd is organising the third edition of the NBL and WNBL from May 21.
A total of 13 teams - eight in men's and five in women's sections - will take part in the tournament which will be played under home-andaway format, informed the organisers at a press meet today.
"The first two editions of NBL have already captured the imagination of basketball players and fans across the country. It has given a momentum to the most-loved game and has made contribution of its own in the development of domestic basketball," the organisers claimed in a release.
"We were unable to give yearly continuity to the tournament because of the pandemic situation and dire circumstances that followed.
Since the pandemic is on the wane, we are all set to bring you the most exciting festival of Nepali basketball." The NBL will kick off on May 21, while the WNBL will be played from June 1. The men's tournament features 56 league games, while the women's section event will have 20 matches. Top four teams after double round robin league will make it to the playoffs, which will be played under best-of-three format from July 16. The finals are slated for July 23.
Times International Club, Tribhuvan Army Club, Golden Gate International Club, Royal Basketball Club, Budhanilkantha Municipality Basketball Club, Kirtipur Basketball Club, Bishal Milan Kendra and Campion Solo are competing in the NBL, while Nepal Police Club, Lalitpur High Club, Royal Basketball Club and ISA Nepal have confirmed their registration in WNBL with one slot still up for grabs. Each team is allowed to have a maximum of four foreign players.
Top two teams in NNL will receive Rs 200,000 and Rs 100,000 respectively, while the winners in WNBL will get Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000.
Most Valuable Player in each match will get gift voucher worth Rs 3,000, whereas players of the series, best coaches and emerging players will receive gift voucher worth Rs 10,000 each.
Bee Solution Pvt Ltd is the main sponsor of the tournament and it will provide the NBA Pvt Ltd with logistic support and manpower worth one million rupees. Sanima General Insurance has agreed for insurance of Rs 500,000 each to all players and officials, while Southern Cross University, Astral Skills Institute of Australia, Apsley College, Vivid Education and Li-Ning are the other supporters of the tournament.
National team skipper Sadish Pradhan welcomed the announcement and described the event as a great platform for the players to showcase their talents. "We are aware of the facts that the players do not get chances to play in international events.
The players had to stay almost idle for the last two years due to coronavirus pandemic and they are excited with the announcement of NBL," he said. "It's good for players as they get to play adequate matches which will ultimately help the sport grow," he added.
The organisers were still waiting for green signal from the Nepal Basketball Association.
"We have informed about our programme and we are eagerly waiting for the response. We welcome any sort of help and support from the association," said NBL Vice-president Arun Karki.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 11, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
