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UAE captain Rohan Mustafa to play in Nepal’s T20 Everest Premier League

Denzil Pinto

15:53 17/07/2018

UAE captain Rohan Mustafa will return to Nepal later this year after signing for Kathmandu Kings XI in the upcoming T20 Everest Premier League.

The 29-year-old all-rounder was announced by the franchise on Monday and will join a team that will be looking to make up for their group exit last year where they registered just one win.

It will be the second time that Mustafa will be playing in Nepal after he was named man of the series for champions Team Chauraha Dhangadhi in the Dhangadhi Premier League in April.

And Mustafa insists that experience will be beneficial when he plays in the tournament, which is scheduled for November.

“The Everest Premier League is Nepal’s best T20 tournament and there were some other clubs who were interested in me but I signed for Kathmandu Kings XI,” said Mustafa.

“They are a great side and have Nepal’s fast-bowler Sompal Kami, who I played alongside in the Dhangadhi Premier League for Team Chauraha Dhangadhi earlier this year. It was great playing under his leadership there and with him as my team-mate, It’ll be easier for me to settle.”

He added: “The conditions might be a little bit different (to the Dhangadhi Premier League) but not that much. Of course when you go somewhere where it’s new and don’t know anyone it can be hard but Kami is there and having him in the team will help me a lot. The experience playing in Nepal will be massive for me but it will be a difficult tournament as it’s the best T20 tournament in Nepal.”

Mustafa will be sharing a dressing room with Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien – who scored a 100 in his nation’s Test debut against Pakistan in May – after the batsman was roped in by Kathmandu Kings XI and the UAE skipper is looking forward to playing alongside him.

“He’s a great player who has proven himself to be an excellent batsman,” he said. “It will be very good for me to learn from him because he has had a solid career with Ireland and his experience can help us go far.”

Kings XI COO Raj Jung Thapa is delighted with the acquisition of Mustafa.

“Rohan Mustafa is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm slow bowler, a perfect all-rounder for the team, with a proven track record in Nepal and loves playing in Nepal,” he said.

“This batting all-rounder has the capacity to bat at any order and will be a key ingredient for Kathmandu Kings XI, which is the biggest franchise in TVS EPL, and Rohan has declared he is very happy to come back and play in Nepal.”

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