Editorial: Lessons from NPL

At the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepali cricket made history recently. The credit for this feat—the successful conclusion of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament (Nov 30-Dec 21)—goes to the entire sports fraternity.

It’s a celebration for all, including the government, the winning team, Janakpur Bolts, other participating teams, ace cricketers from Nepal and beyond, the organizers (Cricket Association of Nepal), sponsors, national and international media involved in the coverage of the tourney, ground staff, fans and empires.  

Through the maiden NPL title win, Janakpur Bolts have etched their name in history and this win should be an occasion for celebration for the sports fraternity. It is natural for fans of a squad to get disappointed when a rival team wins but this does not allow them to opt for physical violence and racist remarks against the ‘rivals’. Sadly, that’s what happened during and after the final match between the Bolts and the Sudurpaschim Royals.

The organizers and law enforcement should learn some humbling lessons from the cricket ground, and so should fans. The fans, diehard and misguided ones in particular, should bear in mind that violence is not acceptable at all, whether on or off the sporting arena.

For law enforcement and the management, it is indeed quite difficult to ensure order in a euphoric, roughly 25000-strong crowd but this does not mean these authorities should not prepare for worst-case scenarios. Now that the unwelcome incident has occurred, the onus is on law enforcement to conduct a free, fair and credible probe, take action against the guilty and come up with preventive measures keeping in mind the possibility of vested interests using such events to stoke up hostilities between different communities living in peace and harmony in a country comprising the Himalayas, the Tarai and the Hills.

With some sobering lessons, the NPL has shown that Nepal, endowed with favorable weather conditions and friendly, cheering people well aware of the sporting culture, has the potential to become a great neutral venue for major international sporting tournaments, including cricket. The time has come to channelize our energies toward that end as well.