Shoaib Akhtar to Join Himalaya Sports' NPL Season 3 Broadcast as Special Guest

Shoaib Akhtar, the fastest bowler in cricket history, will be part of the Nepal Premier League's third season after Himalaya Sports signed the former Pakistan star as a special guest for its broadcast coverage.

A broadcasting coup for the NPL

The signing is a statement of intent from Himalaya Sports, which holds the broadcast rights for the third edition of the Nepal Premier League. Akhtar will feature on Red Bull Cricket Live in Association with Bajaj Pulsar, the channel's pre-match and post-match programme, offering technical analysis and his famously unfiltered views on the cricket in front of him.

Suraj Giri, chief executive officer and director of Himalaya Sports, described Akhtar's participation as an important milestone for sports broadcasting in Nepal, saying the collaboration was another step towards bringing the experience and analysis of internationally renowned cricketers to Nepali audiences. Alongside live match coverage, Himalaya Sports plans pre-match and post-match analysis, exclusive interviews and other cricket-focused programmes across the season.

The Rawalpindi Express, by the numbers

Few cricketers have ever matched Akhtar's box-office pull. Between 1997 and 2011 he took 444 wickets for Pakistan across formats — 178 in 46 Tests, 247 in 163 one-day internationals and 19 in 15 T20 internationals — with a long, bounding run-up and a slingy action that made him the most feared fast bowler of his generation.

His defining moment came at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where he bowled a delivery measured at 161.3 kilometres per hour against England — the fastest ball ever officially recorded in cricket, a record that still stands more than two decades later. His duels with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara remain among the most replayed passages of play in the sport's history, and since retirement he has become one of the most-watched cricket voices on television and online.

Analysis, access and fan events

During his appearances on Himalaya Sports, Akhtar will break down the technical side of the game, reflect on his own international career and give his assessment of where Nepali cricket can go. His visit will not be confined to the studio: the announcement included special cricket-related interactions and meet-and-greet events with fans in Nepal.

He joins a broadcast team that Himalaya Sports has been assembling for months. Presenter Navneet Krishna, who has experience in Indian sports broadcasting, former Ireland international Kevin O'Brien and former Nepal national team player Bardan Chalise have already been added to the coverage, mixing international voices with local knowledge.

Nepali fans already know the voice

Since retiring in 2011, Akhtar has built a second career as one of cricket's most outspoken pundits. His television appearances and online match breakdowns draw huge audiences across South Asia, and his clips routinely go viral during major tournaments for their blunt, unscripted style. Nepali audiences have already had a preview this month: he sat down for an episode of the Kathmandu Podcast, billed as his first Nepali podcast appearance, where he spoke about his career and the game in Nepal.

For Nepal's young fast bowlers, his presence carries a particular weight. Akhtar has long championed raw pace and backed young quicks to bowl fast without fear, and a generation of Nepali fans and players grew up on highlights of his spells. His assessments of the local pace talent on show at Kirtipur — delivered in his trademark direct style — are likely to be among the most talked-about moments of the broadcast.

The league's biggest stage yet

Akhtar's involvement underlines how far the NPL's broadcast product has come. Season 3 is the league's most ambitious edition: it carries ICC sanction, will use the Decision Review System for the first time in Nepali cricket, and is backed by a television and streaming package spanning Himalaya Television and the NetTV app, with eSewa handling ticketing.

Star players such as Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan will be on the field; with Akhtar in the studio, the league now has one of cricket's biggest personalities off it. For Nepali fans, his blunt assessments of young fast bowlers — and of Nepal's own pace prospects — promise to be essential viewing between October 26 and November 21.