National cricketer Virandeep Singh is eagerly waiting to lock horns with Sharvin Muniandy in the Everest Premier League (EPL), which begins in Nepal on Saturday.
Virandeep secured a breakthrough by signing with Chitwan Tigers last month, while Sharvin joined Bhairahawa Gladiators a few days ago. Both players will leave for Nepal today.
Chitwan and Bhairahawa will face off in the round-robin tournament at TU Stadium in Katmandu on Monday.
It will be a fairytale beginning for Virandeep and Sharvin if they are named in their respective squads for the match.
"It is a massive opportunity for both of us to promote Malaysian cricket in the EPL. It would be a dream if we feature for our respective teams on Monday as no Malaysian has played professional cricket in recent times," said Virandeep recently.
"However, our teams have so many top professionals, so it will not be easy to get into the playing XI.
"It would be fantastic if I get to play in some of the matches.
"Sharvin and I are not there for individual glory. We hope that our involvement will help more Malaysians cricketers into professional leagues.
Virandeep said the recent bubble training at the Kinrara Oval had helped him regain his touch.
Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) chief operating officer Dinesh Muthuraman hopes Virandeep and Sharvin's outing in the EPL will encourage more parents to allow their children to take up the sport as a career.
"It has always been our goal to help our players play abroad. We hope Virandeep and Sharvin's EPL outing will lead to better things to come in the future," said Dinesh.
"We believe that their participating in the EPL will open up opportunities for others to turn professional.
"Parents are apprehensive as they think there is no future in Malaysia for cricket. However, we hope to change the negative perception soon.
"We were expecting national captain Ahmad Faiz Noor and Pavandeep Singh to join other franchises in the EPL, but it did not happen.
"We are optimistic more opportunities will come by as there are so many franchised leagues worldwide."
