Gandaki, Kathmandu, Madhesh, Lalitpur, Karnali and Chitwan will compete in the tournament.
The marquee players of the team were unveiled last week. National team captain Aruna Shahi will represent Chitwan. Other marquee players Saraswati Chaudhary, Salina Shrestha, Niruta Thagunna, Usha Bhandari and Sumitra Regmi will be competing for Gandaki, Lalitpur, Madhesh, Kathmandu and Karnali, respectively.
The players have been classified into three tiers, with each team featuring one “A” grade player, four “B” grade players, and three “C” grade players. The teams are permitted to sign a minimum of three foreign players each, while one player will be selected through a talent hunt.
Jagadish Bhatta, the coach of the national women’s volleyball team who recently guided Nepal to a historic victory over India at the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League, will be at the helm of Team Kathmandu.
On Thursday, The Everest Women’s Volleyball League announced six franchises participating in the inaugural edition of the league.According to the organiser of the league, each team will have 12 players among them nine will be Nepali and three will be foreigners. All of the teams will have a marquee player.
The participating franchises of the league are Team Kathmandu, Team Lalitpur, Team Madhesh, Team Gandaki, Team Chitwan and Team Karnali. While other franchises haven’t finalised the team, the Madhesh franchise has named its team Madhesh United.
“The league aspires to raise the standards of volleyball in Nepal, providing a platform for athletes to showcase their talents alongside foreign players in each franchise,” said Aamir Akhtar, Managing Director of Infinity Dreams, organiser of the league. “This Initiative will open new opportunities and bring diverse experiences to the players and fans alike.”
According to the organisers, the schedule of the league will be made public soon.