Ireland's Kevin O'Brien signs for Nepal's Everest Premier League outfit Kathmandu Kings XI

Sudhir Gupta 18:13 26/06/2018
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  • Kevin O'Brien will fulfill his wish of playing in Nepal.

    Remember when Kevin O’Brien said he couldn’t wait to play in front of the passionate cricket fans in Nepal? The Ireland batsman had made the claim while congratulating Nepal for gaining ODI status after its six-wicket win over Papua New Guinea during the ICC World Cup Cup qualifiers held in Zimbabwe during March this year.

    “Congrats or @NepalCricket for gaining #odi status! Looking forward to our first tour to experience crowds like this,” the 34-year-old had posted on Twitter at the time.

    The Dublin-born man had reiterated his wish of playing cricket in Nepal when pictures of leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane being mobbed by the nation’s media upon his return from a maiden stint in the IPL were circulating on social media.

    Upon seeing the picture of the waiting media at the Kathmandu airport, O’Brien had tweeted, “What a picture!!! He will be the star of the country! Can’t wait to get to Nepal and experience the passionate fans!”

    It seems that the Irishman is about to get his wish after he was announced as the first overseas signing of the season by Nepal’s Everest Premier League outfit Kathmandu Kings XI.

    “Kathmandu Kings XI are happy to announce the first centurion for Ireland @KevinOBrien113 as 1st international player for this year’s TVS EPL. Many thanks to agent @niallnobiobrien for arranging the contract,” the franchise wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

    It seems that the Ireland star has his elder sibling and agent Niall O’Brien to thank for his dream of playing in Nepal near fruition.

    The younger O’Brien sibling had announced himself to the cricket world after smashing the then fastest World Cup century in a clash against England in the 2011 edition held in India.

    He then wrote himself into the record books once again this year as he became Ireland’s first Test centurion during their one-off maiden Test against Pakistan earlier. He will be in action on Wednesday when Ireland take on India in the first of the two T20s at Dublin.

    The Everest Premier T20 League was launched in July, 2017 with six franchises participating. The 2017 edition of the tournament was won by Biratnagar Warriors. The second edition of the tournament is expected to get underway in November this year.

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