Cricket in Shuklaphanta: Nurturing big dreams amid scarcity
Kanchanpur: Cricket players in Shuklaphanta Municipality continue to chase their dreams despite practicing on cracked pitches, with torn nets, broken bats, and dilapidated grounds.
Lack of basic facilities has not diminished the enthusiasm of local players, who train daily at the Dharmajanta School and Kalika Secondary School grounds—often shared with grazing cows, buffaloes, and goats. “We do not have facilities, but we have dreams,” said coach Sajan Gautam. “Driven by passion, players have grown accustomed to practicing despite scarcity.”
Three players from Shuklaphanta represented Sudurpaschim Province in the Prime Minister’s Cup provincial-level women’s cricket last year, finishing as runner-up. This year, the women’s under-19 team went one step further, claiming the provincial title. Coach Gautam is confident: “If this momentum continues, Shuklaphanta’s women cricketers can represent Nepal in the 2027 Women’s Under-19 World Cup.”
Player Rabina Dhami, who performed impressively in the Prime Minister’s Cup, shared: “Even without facilities, we are training hard. Reaching the national level has strengthened our belief that we can dream bigger.”
The men’s cricket scene faces similar challenges, yet continues to produce national and international-level players. Lalit Bhandari, Ashish Luhar, and Sushil Rawal have competed internationally, while Saroj Air, Ramesh Bhatt, Suraj Tiruwa, and Kailash Air have represented Nepal. Despite this, many promising players are forced to leave for India due to financial hardship.
Most families of players survive on daily wages in the village or through labor in Indian markets. Even so, their children remain committed to cricket, struggling to afford balls, nets, or even a playable turf wicket. Gautam stressed the urgent need for a new turf wicket, nets, balls, and fencing. “With these basics, many more international-level players could emerge from Shuklaphanta,” he said.
Some local enthusiasts have supported the players with equipment, but Gautam believes greater structural support from the municipality and provincial government is essential for sustainability. Cricket’s popularity has soared, with hundreds of spectators gathering for school-level tournaments.
Parents express pride seeing their children with bats and balls, while local sports enthusiast Saroj Air emphasized: “Our name has reached far because of cricket. With proper infrastructure, Shuklaphanta can become a cricket hub.”
Cricket in Shuklaphanta began about two decades ago, yet lack of facilities continues to stifle many talents. Still, the performances of today’s young players have raised hopes that Shuklaphanta will soon be recognized as a prominent cricketing center.