Nepal Cricket Association announces new player contract classifications for 2026

Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) has announced the new central contract classification for male and female national cricket players for 2026.

According to a statement released by CAN, a total of 38 male and 25 female players have been categorized into different classes this year. Along with the classification, CAN has also set a new structure for players’ monthly salaries and match fees.

In the men’s category, CAN has classified players into five categories. The top and most prestigious ‘A Plus’ category includes captain Rohit Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sandeep Lamichhane.

Similarly, Sompal Kami, Asif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, and Karan KC are in the ‘A’ category, while Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Arif Sheikh, Bhim Sarki, Nandan Yadav, and Gulshan Jha are in the ‘B’ category.

Eleven players, who have shown promising performances recently, are placed in the ‘C’ category. These include Sundeep Jora, Arjun Kumal, Kushal Malla, Sher Malla, Ishan Pandey, Basir Ahmed, Lokesh Bam, Shahab Alam, Hemant Dhami, Binod Bhandari, and Anil Shah.

Additionally, 15 young and potential players have been placed in the ‘D’ or development category. This category includes Tritraj Das, Rasid Khan, Santosh Yadav, Narayan Joshi, Bipin Khatri, Rijan Dhakal, Yuvraj Khatri, Dev Khanal, Pawan Sarraf, Akash Chand, Deepak Dumre, Arjun Gharti, Arjun Saud, Pratish GC, and Sagar Dhakal.

In the women’s category, CAN has divided players into four categories. In the ‘A’ category, captain Indu Barma, Puja Mahato, Rubina Chhetri, and Sita Rana Magar are included, while Kavita Kunwar, Samjhana Khadka, and Manisha Upadhyay are in the ‘B’ category. Bindu Rawal, Kavita Joshi, Ruby Poddar, and Riya Sharma are in the ‘C’ category.

To promote and strengthen women’s cricket, 14 players have been classified in the development category. This includes Roma Thapa, Suman Bista, Ishwari Bista, Soni Pakhrin, Sana Praveen, Sabitri Dhami, Kajol Shrestha, Simanka KC, Anu Kadayat, Yashoda Bista, Laxmi Saud, Mamta Chaudhary, Asmina Karmacharya, and Rachana Chaudhary.

CAN has set different salary rates based on the categories for male and female players. Male players in the ‘A Plus’ category will receive a monthly salary of 120,000 rupees.

Male players in the ‘A’ category will receive a monthly salary of 100,000 rupees, those in the ‘B’ category will get 75,000 rupees, ‘C’ category players will receive 55,000 rupees, and those in the development (D) category will earn 35,000 rupees monthly.

For female players, those in the ‘A’ category will receive a monthly salary of 55,000 rupees. Similarly, ‘B’ category female players will earn 40,000 rupees, ‘C’ category players will receive 30,000 rupees, and those in the development (D) category will get 25,000 rupees monthly.

To boost players’ morale, CAN has also arranged match fees in addition to the monthly salary. From now on, both male and female cricket players will receive the same match fees. For T20 International (T20I) matches, players will receive 10,000 rupees per match, and for One Day International (ODI) matches, they will receive 15,000 rupees per match.