Pokhara Avengers have signed all-rounder Sudip Aryal from Nawalpur as the first iconic player produced by the franchise's Gandaki Heroes talent hunt, the team confirmed on its official website. Aryal will represent Pokhara in the Nepal Premier League after standing out among hundreds of applicants in a province-wide scouting drive.

The Gandaki Heroes initiative was opened to applicants on October 19, drawing 370 submissions in total, including 250 from within Gandaki Province. From that pool, five players were ultimately selected as Gandaki Heroes: Aryal, Krishna Paudel, and Sohel Kunwar from Kaski; Sandeep Khatri from Syangja; and Sandeep Parajuli from Tanahun. Among the five, Aryal was singled out for the franchise's marquee slot, becoming the first player elevated to iconic-player status through the program. The remaining four selections will join Pokhara Avengers for a closed training session rather than featuring on the NPL squad list immediately.

Pokhara Avengers President Subodh Tripathi framed the initiative as a long-term investment in grassroots cricket rather than a one-off recruitment exercise. He said the Gandaki Heroes will train and compete in various domestic competitions throughout the year, with the franchise using its NPL platform to support cricket development across the wider Gandaki region rather than treating the talent search as a single-season gimmick.

For Pokhara Avengers, Aryal's signing gives the franchise a homegrown storyline heading into the NPL season—a local all-rounder discovered through an open scouting process rather than the auction room, fitting the province-first identity the club has built around the Gandaki Heroes brand.

About the Gandaki Heroes Program

The Gandaki Heroes concept was created to give franchise cricket a direct hand in Nepal's domestic development pipeline. Rather than restricting player identification to the NPL auction, Pokhara Avengers opened applications to cricketers across Gandaki Province, aiming to fast-track promising local talent into representative and franchise cricket while keeping the selected players active in domestic competition year-round.

For more on Pokhara Avengers' squad build and the road to the NPL season, see our NPL 2026 teams and NPL 2026 auction coverage.