After hitting headlines with country’s first auction of players, the Dhangadi Cricket League-3 is set to begin here at the SSP cricket grounds on Saturday.

Chauraha will take on Hassanpur in the opening match of the five-team tournament to played over double round robin league with top four teams progressing into the playoffs. Campus Road, Attariya and Santoshi Tole are the other three franchises. The franchises are named after the five places of Kailali district.

The five franchises had bought players—mostly from Dhangadhi—through auction in January. U-19 skipper Raju Rijal was sold for the highest price of Rs 40,000 to Santoshi Tole. National team cricketer Binod Bhandari (Attariya) and former U-19 medium pacer Lalit Singh Bhandari (Campus Road) were the other top draw.

Rijal, Bikram Thagunna (Hassanpur), Padak KC (Chauraha), Bhuwan Karki (Attariya), Roman Bam (Campus Road) will be leading their franchises.

Dhangadi Cricket Academy (DCA) Director Subash Bahadur Shahi, who came up with the concept of the auction, said the tournament will have a distinct place in Nepal’s cricket history. “The tournament has succeeded in coming up with a new concept of players’ auction which in itself is a big thing in Nepali sports. We are happy that we are able to implement our concept practically,” said Shahi.

DCA has also been organising the biennial SPA Cup which is so far the highest cash prize tournament in Nepal. It carries a purse of Rs 500,000 for the winners.

The 19-day tournament carries an estimated budget of Rs 5.5 million with Sagarmatha Cement sponsoring one million rupees. The champions will receive a cash purse of Rs 300,000 and the runners-up will get Rs 150,000. Following the completion of the tournament, the organisers will form a 14-member Dream Team combining the best players of the tournament. “The best players will get the opportunity to participate in a tournament in India,” informed Shahi.