# Everest Premier League

Everest Premier League (EPL) (Nepali: एभरेष्ट प्रिमियर लिग) was a franchise Twenty20 cricket tournament organized by EPL Pvt. Ltd., a private group in Nepal. It was the biggest cricket tournament in the country, played during the northern winter calendar, mostly in the month of December. It was played in round-robin format in which top four teams qualify for the playoffs. The tournament was renowned for having high attendance among the domestic cricket of the ICC associate nations. The first edition of the tournament was held in September 2016 with six franchises consisting of domestic and international players. Chitwan Tigers are the defending champions after winning the 2021 season. From 2024 Nepal Premier League replaces the league.

## History

Everest Premier League was unveiled on 24 February 2014 in a press conference held at Hotel Radisson. Zohra Sports Management and Cricket Association of Nepal had an exclusive agreement to introduce NPL for an initial three years.
On 13 May 2014 a handful of CAN members issued a press release claiming CAN had pulled out as the organizers of the tournament. In 2016, EPL was announced from September 24 to October 3 in TU Cricket Ground. While a majority of CAN members resigned from NPL Governing Council, the then President, Tanka Angbuhang still continued to promote the event stating that the decision made was unofficial and without his knowledge. The sponsor for 2014 was C.G. Foods (Wai Wai).

## Teams

Each team consisted of 15 players. Among them 10 players were bought by each team through auction. A talent hunt was conducted by each team in their respective cities to acquire a young player in their squad. Similarly, the teams also included at least three foreign players in their side.
| Team | Owner | Home ground |
| Bhairahawa Gladiators | Aditya Shanghai | Siddhartha Rangasala |
| Biratnagar Warriors | Vishal Agrawal | Baijanathpur Cricket Ground |
| Chitwan Tigers | Kishore Bhattarai | Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium |
| Kathmandu Kings XI | Rohit Gupta | Mulpani Cricket Stadium |
| Lalitpur Patriots | Kishore Maharjan | Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground |
| Pokhara Rhinos | Shahil Agrawal | Pokhara Rangsala |

### 2016 teams

In the 2016 edition, the teams in the tournament were based on corporate sectors.
| Team | Owner(s) |
| Vishal Warriors | Vishal Group |
| Colors X-Factors | Teletalk Private Limited |
| Jagdamba Rhinos | Shanker Groups |
| Panchakanya Tej | Panchakanya Groups |
| Kantipur Gurkhas | Kantipur Publications |
| Sagarmatha Legends | Ghorahi Cements |

## Tournament seasons and results

All season's results are in a table.
| Season | Final venue | Final | Final | Final | Player of the series |
| Season | Final venue | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Player of the series |
| 2016 Details | TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur | Panchakanya Tej 171/4 (20 overs) | Tej won by 40 runs Scorecard | Colors X-Factors 131 (17.3 overs) | Sompal Kami (Jagdamba Rhinos) |
| 2017 Details | TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur | Biratnagar Warriors 149/7 (20 overs) | Warriors won by 1 run Scorecard | Bhairahawa Gladiators 148/9 (20 overs) | Babar Hayat (Biratnagar Warriors) |
| 2018 Details | TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur | Lalitpur Patriots 155 (19.1 overs) | Patriots won by 14 runs Scorecard | Bhairahawa Gladiators 141/9 (20 overs) | Ravi Inder Singh (Bhairahawa Gladiators) |
| 2021 Details | TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur | Chitwan Tigers 114/6 (15.5 overs) | Tigers won by 4 wickets Scorecard | Pokhara Rhinos 111 (17.5 overs) | Sagar Dhakal (Chitwan Tigers) |

## Broadcasting

* Kantipur Gold (2016)
* Eurosport (2019–2021)
* AP1 Television (2017–2019)
* 1Sports (2020–2021)
* Himalaya TV (2021)