CAN: The Cricket Association of Nepal Explained

CAN is the common abbreviation for the Cricket Association of Nepal, the body that governs cricket across the country. If you have seen the letters "CAN" next to a Nepal cricket score, a tournament announcement, or a player selection, this is what they mean. This short explainer defines the term and points you to our fuller guide to the Cricket Association of Nepal for the complete picture.

Key takeaways

• CAN stands for the Cricket Association of Nepal, the national governing body for cricket.
• It was established in 1946 and is an associate member of the ICC (since 1996).
• CAN is headquartered in Mulpani, Kathmandu.
• It runs Nepal's national teams and domestic cricket, including the Nepal Premier League (from 2024).
• It is not the team itself — it is the organisation behind the team.

What CAN stands for

In Nepali sport, CAN is shorthand for the Cricket Association of Nepal. It is the single recognised governing body for the game in the country, responsible for the national teams and for organising cricket from the grassroots up. Because the abbreviation is short and widely used, "CAN" often appears in headlines, broadcasts, and social media in place of the full name.

A quick note on the word itself: "CAN" here has nothing to do with the everyday English verb. It is purely the initials of the Cricket Association of Nepal, and that is how Nepali cricket fans and media use it.

A brief background

The Cricket Association of Nepal traces its roots to 1946, making it one of South Asia's older cricket bodies, even though Nepal's rise as a competitive cricket nation came much later. CAN became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1996 and is also part of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Nepal's cricket has grown rapidly in the twenty-first century. The men's national team earned One Day International (ODI) status in 2018, a milestone that lifted the profile of the sport at home, and Nepali cricket now draws large, enthusiastic crowds. CAN sits at the centre of all of this as the organising authority.

What CAN does

As the governing body, CAN's role mirrors that of national cricket boards elsewhere. In short, it:

• Manages Nepal's men's, women's, and age-group national teams.
• Organises domestic competitions, including the franchise-based Nepal Premier League launched in 2024.
• Maintains and develops grounds such as the Tribhuvan University (TU) cricket ground at Kirtipur and the Mulpani stadium.
• Represents Nepal at the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council.

Like many sports bodies, CAN has had a complex governance history, including a period of ICC suspension that was later lifted. Our full explainer covers that story in more detail.

CAN versus the cricket team

It is worth being clear on one point: CAN is not the team. The Cricket Association of Nepal is the administrative organisation that runs the sport, while the national cricket team is the group of players who take the field. When you read that "CAN announced a squad," it means the governing body has named the players for the team.

Read the full story

This page is a quick definition. For the detailed history — the founding, ICC membership, the suspension and reinstatement, the grounds, and the rise of the national side — head to our complete guide to the Cricket Association of Nepal. For broader context on the country, our overviews of Nepali culture and football in Nepal, the country's other major team sport, are good companions.

The bottom line

When you see CAN in Nepali sport, it means the Cricket Association of Nepal — the governing body behind the national team and the country's fast-growing cricket scene. Now that the abbreviation makes sense, the full guide to the Cricket Association of Nepal fills in the rest.

Sources

• Cricket Association of Nepal — Wikipedia
• Cricket Association of Nepal — ICC
• Cricket in Nepal — Wikipedia
• Nepal national cricket team — Wikipedia