The Indian Embassy in Nepal recently organized the second edition of the Indian Ambassador’s Cricket Tournament in Kathmandu from June 26-28. The event brought together diplomats, government officials, media professionals, former cricketers, corporate representatives, and members of the Indian diaspora in Nepal. Eight teams participated in the three-day tournament, including representatives from the Indian Embassy, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the diplomatic community in Kathmandu, Nepali media, former Nepali cricketers, Government of Nepal officials, corporate organizations, and the Indian community in Nepal (ICAN).
After several competitive matches, the tournament concluded on June 28 with a final match between the Indian Embassy team and ICAN. Trophies and awards were presented to the winning team and outstanding performers by India’s Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, and representatives of the organizing partners. The opening ceremony took place on June 26 in the presence of Ambassador Srivastava, Joint Secretary of the South Asia Division at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gahendra Rajbhandari, and senior diplomatic representatives.
A reception was held on June 29 to mark the successful completion of the tournament. During the event, Ambassador Srivastava presented professional-grade cricket kits to three promising Nepali Under-19 women cricketers — Sana Praveen, Krishma Gurung, and Sabitri Dhami. He also wished them success in the upcoming ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is set to be jointly hosted by Nepal and Bangladesh next year. The Indian Ambassador’s Cricket Tournament, which aims to strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Nepal through sports diplomacy and support the development of young sporting talent in Nepal, had its first edition in Kathmandu last year with six participating teams.
