Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat Joins Karnali Yaks for NPL

Babar Hayat, the Hong Kong cricketer, has joined the Karnali Yaks team for the upcoming Siddharth Bank Nepal Premier League (NPL). The 32-year-old cricketer arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday as the second foreign player for the Karnali team, who were excited to welcome him. Karnali’s owner, Jhank Datt Khanal, co-owner Grihendra Ghimire, and coach Gyanendra Mall were present to greet Hayat.

Hayat has an impressive T20I career, having scored 1,910 runs in 79 matches, including two centuries and ten half-centuries. He brings a wealth of experience to Karnali’s squad.

In addition to Hayat, the Karnali Yaks team features West Indies’ Chadwick Walton, India’s Shikhar Dhawan, and former Oman captain Jatinder Singh Makhsood as their foreign players.

The local players in the Karnali squad include Nepal’s national team members Gulshan Jha, Dev Khanal, and Nandan Yadav. Also included are players from various categories: Arjun Gharti and Rit Gautam from ‘B’ category, and Deependra Rawat, Yunis Vikram Singh Thakuri, and Deepak Dumre from the ‘C’ category. Karnali has also selected Bipin Prasad Sharma from the Talent Hunt as one of their iconic players.

Before the NPL begins, Karnali Yaks appointed popular artist Swastima Khadka as the ‘Face of Karnali Yaks,’ and Sisan Baniya as the youth ambassador. The NPL, organized by the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN), will take place from December 15 to January 6. Karnali will kick off their campaign against Janakpur Bulls on December 17.