Dailekh's Hikmat Bahadur Shahi named Karnali Yaks' icon player

Karnali Yaks have selected 18-year-old Hikmat Bahadur Shahi of Dailekh as their icon player for the third season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL).

Shahi had taken part in the team's talent hunt held in Surkhet. This time, Shahi, along with Bhuwan Bhandari of Rukum and Kailash Khadka of Surkhet, advanced to the second round from the talent hunts held in Surkhet and Salyan.

All three took part in the team's closed training session, and Shahi was selected based on his performance there. He started playing cricket in 2021.

He has trained for 3 months in Kathmandu and 2 months at the Junior Sports Academy in Surkhet, during which he also worked as a coach for junior players in Surkhet. In 2024, he received about a year of training in India.

Shahi considers this selection a turning point in his cricket career. The team's coach, Gyanendra Malla, said Shahi was chosen based on the team's structure and requirements.