Kathmandu Gorkhas: Capital City's Elite Set for 2025

Published · By Kushma Thapa

The Kathmandu Gorkhas, the representative team of Nepal's capital city, are back for the NPL 2025 season with a strong focus on converting competitive performances into a title challenge.

2024 Performance: Competitive but Missed Playoffs

In the inaugural NPL season (2024), the Gorkhas were highly competitive:

  • League Finish: They finished in 5th place.

  • Match Record: They won 4 matches and lost 3, narrowly missing out on the four-team playoff structure despite a winning record.

The team, backed by a powerful ownership group including Kailash Sirohiya (Kantipur Publication), Upendra Mahato (Mediciti Hospital), and Arun Kumar Saraf (Juniper Hotels), aims to make the playoffs this year.

2025 Squad Composition: Global Experience Infusion

The Gorkhas secured their 2025 roster with an auction bid of रू3.33 crore (US$250,000), the highest recorded in the league, signalling their intent to dominate. They focused heavily on securing top-tier international talent, particularly in the middle order and pace department.

Key Player Movements

  • Players Retained (6):

    • Karan KC (Marquee/Captain), Bhim Sharki, Mohammad Aadil Alam, Shahab Alam, Dipesh Prasad Kandel, Rashid Khan

  • New Local (Nepali) Players (7):

    • Krishna Karki, Uttam Magar, Santosh Yadav, Pratik Shrestha, Tul Thapa, Aakash Tripathi, Sonu Devkota

  • New Foreign Players (6):

    • Heinrich Klaasen (SA), John Simpson (ENG), Ricardo Vasconcelos (SA), Milind Kumar (USA), Sunny Patel (USA), Ben Charlesworth (ENG)

  • Retained Foreign Player:

    • Gerhard Erasmus (NAM) was retained to provide continuity in the all-rounder slot.

International Star Power

The Gorkhas' overseas signings are arguably the most impactful in the league, focusing on explosive batting and reliable wicket-keeping:

  • Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa): One of the world's most destructive limited-overs wicketkeeper-batters.

  • John Simpson (England) & Ricardo Vasconcelos (South Africa): Adding international class and depth behind the stumps and in the batting lineup.

  • Milind Kumar (USA) & Sunny Patel (USA): Talented all-rounders bringing in valuable US domestic circuit experience.

  • Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia): The retained all-rounder provides essential stability and captaincy experience.

Leadership and Home Base

The Kathmandu Gorkhas represent the capital, Kathmandu, in Bagmati Province.

Their home ground is the Mulpani Cricket Stadium.

Key information about the team:

  • Captain/Skipper: The team is led by Marquee Player and pace bowling all-rounder, Karan KC.

  • Head Coach: For 2025, the team is coached by the experienced Indian coach Monty Desai, taking over from Basanta Shahi.

  • Auction Bid: The Gorkhas had the highest bid in the auction, securing the roster at रू3.33 crore (US$250,000).

  • Debut Season: The team made its Nepal Premier League (NPL) debut in 2024.

Roster and Schedule Information

With an injection of world-class talent and a strong local core, the Kathmandu Gorkhas are positioned to be a major force in the NPL 2025 title race.

For the latest updates on the full squad roster and match details, including upcoming fixtures: