KATHMANDU: The Nepal Premier League (NPL) franchise, Kathmandu Gurkhas, has appointed former national cricket team player Sharad Vesawkar as their ‘Cricket Director’ for the upcoming NPL season.

Sharad, who played for the Chitwan Rhinos in the inaugural NPL season in 2024, will now take on crucial responsibilities overseeing the Gurkhas’ cricket management, team strategy, technical aspects, and player management.

Vesawkar boasts an illustrious career that began in 2002 at the ACC U-15 Asia Cup in the UAE, leading to his senior national team debut in 2004 after progressing through the U-17 and U-19 ranks.

He played a pivotal role in helping Nepal qualify for its historic first-ever T20 World Cup in 2014 and was an integral member of the squad during Nepal’s maiden One Day International (ODI) match against the Netherlands in 2018. Notably, he still holds the record for the highest individual first-class score by a Nepali batsman, hammering 89 runs against the UAE during the 2005 Intercontinental Cup in Kirtipur.

Widely regarded as one of the most successful captains in Nepal’s domestic circuit, Sharad led teams to three championship titles and three runners-up finishes in various major franchise leagues, alongside guiding the Nepal APF Club to both T20 and 50-over domestic trophies.

He officially transitioned from his playing career into management after captaining Nepal in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament last year.