Cricket Association of Nepal secretary Paras Khadka has said the board is discussing possible changes to the Jay Trophy, including the prospect of adding more teams as part of a broader effort to strengthen the domestic structure.
The current format has left several top players without access to multi-day cricket. Because only four teams took part in this season's Jay Trophy, players such as Dipendra Singh Airee, Nandan Yadav, Anil Sah and Pawan Sarraf missed out despite being in the national-team setup. Madhesh Province had played the tournament last year, but this time APF replaced them after finishing in the top four of the Prime Minister Cup. Five other provinces are yet to feature in the competition.
Paras said CAN is working on a new domestic structure with the long-term aim of creating a competition that carries the value of first-class cricket. He said the first two editions were treated as a testing phase and that the board had received encouraging feedback from players and coaches. He added that tournaments like the Jay Trophy can play a major role in helping players develop their game.
He indicated that next year's Jay Trophy could see structural changes, with discussions ongoing over whether it should be played as a two-day or three-day competition. CAN is also internally exploring whether to expand the tournament and possibly introduce a divisional structure involving departmental and provincial teams.
Paras acknowledged that players from teams who do not finish in the top four of the Prime Minister Cup end up losing out on one tournament. He said CAN is aware of that imbalance and wants to create a more competitive environment across domestic cricket. According to him, the stronger the competition, the more players will improve.
He also said that if budget allows, Nepal could create a year-round red-ball cricket environment. Expanding the competition to include all seven provinces and staging matches across the country would further strengthen the system, he said, adding that CAN remains optimistic about bringing those changes.
Drawing from his own experience, Paras said multi-day cricket helps bridge a major gap in Nepali cricket. He said the longer format tests a player's mental approach, stamina, patience and game awareness in ways limited-overs cricket cannot, and that those qualities eventually feed back into skill development across formats.
