Local Vendors Thrive as NPL Draws Thousands to Kirtipur

The start of the second season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) at Tribhuvan University (TU) Cricket Ground has not only electrified the field but also boosted business outside it.

Since the tournament began, thousands of spectators flocking to the Kirtipur area have created a “mini-market” atmosphere around the stadium. Small vendors selling snacks, mobile accessories, sports merchandise, and other items are seeing a significant surge in daily income.

Street sellers are offering everything from spicy snacks, momo, fried items, tea, coffee, water, and juices to stationery, caps, jerseys, and bags. Twenty-seven-year-old local vendor Ramkishor Karki, who runs a small eatery in Kirtipur’s Naya Bazar area, has been selling momos, chowmein, samosas, and tea outside the TU ground since the first day of NPL. He says his daily sales have jumped from around Rs 5–6 thousand to Rs 12–15 thousand on match days.

“Business was slow at my shop before. Now, on match days, we earn between Rs 12–15 thousand. From morning until the game ends in the evening, the shop is full of customers,” Karki said. “Even a single match brings good business, and when there are two matches, it’s even better.”

Another vendor, Jamuna Tamang, expressed similar excitement. “Ever since NPL started, our stall has been crowded. Such opportunities come only once or twice a year, so we are making the most of it,” she said. Tamang, who usually sells vegetables in Naya Bazar, has also started selling momos and chowmein during NPL, using ingredients from her home kitchen. “By the fifth day of the tournament, our business has been steadily growing,” she added.

It’s not just food vendors benefiting. Groups selling water and juice, face-painting artists on canvas, taxi drivers, and bike and scooter parking operators are also profiting from the NPL crowd.

Local residents and vendors agree that the tournament has invigorated Kirtipur’s small-scale economy. With larger audiences attending the games, the area has become lively and bustling. “Outside the field, business is thriving just as intensely as the competition inside,” noted a local resident.

Merchants emphasize that sports events like NPL have a positive impact on the local economy and suggest that such events should be organized systematically in the coming years. According to local trader Nabin Maharjan, the absence of other snack outlets around TU, apart from the university canteen, allows street vendors to fully capitalize on the tournament’s footfall.