Kathmandu. All the preparations for the third edition of Siddharth Bank Nepal Premier League (NPL), Mahakumbha of Nepali cricket, which will start from Monday at the Trivi International Cricket Ground, have been completed.
8 franchise teams will compete in this tournament which will last till 5th of November. In the opening match of the tournament, the winner of the last edition Lumbini Lions and the runner-up Sudurpaschim Royals will compete. Tomorrow, the third edition will officially begin with the match starting at 5 pm.
For the first time DRS has been introduced and the NPL has been recognized by the ICC, along with the exciting clash of cricket, the security is going to be equally tight. District Police Complex Kathmandu has started working by making a security plan for NPL.
On Saturday, a team including the CDO of Kathmandu conducted an on-site inspection of the Trivi Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur. The police have prioritized the security of the players, the security of the eight hotels where they are staying, the movement from the hotel to the stadium, traffic management and the security of the spectators throughout the match.
Special arrangements have been made for the security of VIPs and VVIPs during the opening and closing ceremonies of the game. More than 1000 policemen will be mobilized daily for all these security. It will also have plainclothes policemen.
Similarly, the police said that monitoring will be done through CCTV cameras, drones and trained dogs. The CCTV cameras installed around the stadium will be monitored by the police stationed there, while other areas will be monitored from the CCTV control room of the police.
All 32 matches of the tournament will be conducted at the University ground. In the league stage, each team will play one match against seven other teams. After the league stage, the top four teams in the points table will enter the playoffs.