Kathmandu, June 9: Embassy of India in Kathmandu successfully organized the inaugural edition of the Indian Ambassador's Cricket Tournament from 31 May to 8 June 2025 at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground. The tournament saw enthusiastic participation from six teams representing Indian Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, British Embassy, Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Corporates, and the Indian Diaspora (ICAN) in Nepal.

The opening ceremony was held on 31 May, graced by the presence of Ambassador of India to Nepal, British Ambassador, and Joint Secretary (South Asia Division), MoFA, Nepal.

After a week of spirited and friendly competition, the tournament culminated in a thrilling final match on 8 June, where the Indian Embassy team had a face off with the ICAN team. The final was followed by trophy distribution ceremony attended by the Ambassador of India to Nepal Naveen Srivastava, President of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Chatur Bahadur Chand and Joint Secretary (South Asia Division), MoFA, Nepal, Gahendra Rajbhandari, where top performers were recognized and felicitated.

Later in the evening, a reception ceremony was organized to celebrate the tournament’s success. The event was graced by the Hon'ble Minister of Youth and Sports, Government of Nepal, Teju Lal Chaudhary, the Ambassador,  President of CAN, and esteemed members of Nepal’s Women’s National Cricket Team. Members of all the six participating teams also graced the occasion, reinforcing the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship.

In a significant step to deepen India-Nepal cooperation in the field of sports, the Ambassador handed over cricket kits to three promising U-19 Nepali cricketers. On the same occasion, Embassy of India, Kathmandu also announced the launch of the "Ambassador's Cricket Fellowship for Nepali Youth", under which two young cricketers from Nepal will be provided with opportunity to receive short term coaching at reputed coaching academies in India.

This initiative is part of India’s continued commitment to fostering strong people-to-people ties and supporting youth development in Nepal through the shared love for cricket. 

India remains committed to the growth of cricket in Nepal.