Chitwan Rhinos Give 5% of Merchandise Sales to Rhino Conservation

Chitwan Rhinos have tied their merchandise to a conservation cause, pledging 5 percent of sales proceeds to protect the one-horned rhinoceros as the third season of the Nepal Premier League gets under way at Kirtipur.

Chitwan Rhinos merchandise pledge for rhino conservation

Chitwan Rhinos will invest 5 percent of the proceeds from sales of their merchandise, including T-shirts, in the conservation of the one-horned rhinoceros. The club announced the pledge as the third season of the Nepal Premier League began, turning a share of every shirt and souvenir sold into direct support for the animal the franchise is named after.

Club chairman Ayush Neupane said the Rhinos are dedicated to conserving the rare animal because the club's name is linked with the rhinoceros. The franchise carries the animal's image on its crest and in its branding, and Neupane said the club uses that image to convey conservation messages to supporters in Nepal and beyond.

The pledge is unusual for a franchise announcement because it connects commercial sales with a cause outside cricket. Rather than treating merchandise as only a revenue stream, the Rhinos have presented it as a way for supporters to contribute to the protection of the greater one-horned rhinoceros, the species found in Chitwan National Park, the park known worldwide for ecotourism.

A rhino identity built into the franchise

The Rhinos' identity has been built around the animal from the start. The franchise, owned by Chitwan Medical College, revealed Mr Gaida, a greater one-horned rhino native to Chitwan National Park, as its mascot, and its crest carries a one-horned rhino with a sword and shield behind it. The team's motto, #FEARTHECHARGE, is a nod to the rhino's aggressive and assertive nature.

That identity also shapes how the club presents Chitwan itself. As a sister organisation of Chitwan Medical College, the club has used cricket to introduce the one-horned rhinoceros of Chitwan National Park to a wider audience, carrying a symbol of the district's natural heritage into a national sporting competition.

District Coordination Committee Chitwan chief Narayan Prasad Adhikari welcomed the club's role in the district, saying that having one of the country's eight clubs based in Chitwan is a matter of pride for the region. He said sports instil discipline and that clubs like the Rhinos help attract the general public towards sports, a point the conservation pledge reinforces by giving supporters a cause to rally around as well as a team.

Chitwan Rhinos on the field in Season 3

On the field, the Rhinos are chasing a first NPL title after mixed results in the first two editions. The club finished fourth in the inaugural season and seventh in the second, and it has set its sights on a title run this season under head coach Sohail Tanvir, the former Pakistan fast bowler appointed to lead the side. Our report on Tanvir's appointment and the Rhinos' title target sets out the franchise's ambitions for the new campaign.

The squad is built around marquee player Kushal Malla, and the Rhinos open their Season 3 campaign against Biratnagar Kings on October 27 at 12:30 PM at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. The NPL Season 3 schedule shows a packed month of fixtures for all eight teams, with the season running from October 26 to November 21.

Preparation for the campaign included a month-long closed training camp at Gauritar in Hetauda for most of the Nepali players, alongside work analysing opponents and identifying the squad's strengths and weaknesses. That preparation, and the conservation pledge announced alongside it, show a franchise trying to build both a competitive team and a distinct identity in the league's third season.

Local screenings and community work in Chitwan

Club director Pratap Devkota said arrangements have been made for live broadcasts in various locations across the district, including Birendra Campus Chowk, Bishal Chowk, and Chitwan Spicy Herbal at Dipendra Chowk in Chitwan. The screenings are intended to let supporters in the home district follow the Rhinos together, even when the matches are played in Kirtipur.

Devkota also said the club supports various local clubs while prioritising conservation, and noted that it has assisted victims of the Bhotekoshi flood and collaborated as a sponsor in local musical events. The conservation pledge therefore sits alongside a wider pattern of community work, rather than standing alone as a one-off gesture.

For supporters, the season offers several ways to follow the Rhinos. The points table will track the side's progress through the league stage, ticket details cover the Kirtipur matches, and the live scores page carries ball-by-ball coverage. The champions of Season 3 will receive Rs 15 million, with Rs 8 million for the runners-up, according to the Cricket Association of Nepal.