By Sachit Subba • Off-Field • Aug 16, 2026 12:14 PM • 826 views
KATHMANDU — Five leading Nepali athletes representing volleyball, football, karate, cricket, and mixed martial arts are nominated for the People’s Choice Award at the 23rd NSJF Pulsar Sports Award 2082. The Nepal Sports Journalists Forum announced the shortlist on Sunday, officially launching public voting ahead of the main ceremony on Bhadra 15, 2083, in Kathmandu. This year’s nominees have delivered outstanding performances both domestically and internationally:
Sher Malla (Cricket): Malla made global headlines with his first career delivery in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup match. He excelled in the Asian Games qualifiers, taking four wickets against Hong Kong and three against Malaysia. Domestically, he helped Janakpur Bolts and Lumbini Lions win Nepal Premier League titles, took 17 wickets in 10 NPL matches, and captained Sudurpaschim Province to the Prime Minister’s Cup final.
Rabindra Dhant (Mixed Martial Arts): Known as "Bhajhang ko Bagh," Dhant won the Matrix Fight Night 17 bantamweight title and became the first Nepali mixed martial artist to reach the Road to UFC semifinals, earning a top 25 Asia-Pacific ranking.
Mina Sunar (Volleyball): Known for aggressive spiking, Sunar led Nepal Police Club to third place at the KAVA Women’s Club Championship and captained Everest Volleyball Club. She also won silver at the KAVA U-19 Championship in Sri Lanka and bronze at the KAVA U-20 tournament in the Philippines.
Puja Rana (Football): A regular member of the national squad, Rana contributed to Nepal’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Uzbekistan and gained experience with clubs and academies in Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Sanu Maya Thing (Karate): After direct qualification to the World Karate Championship in Cairo, Egypt, Thing won gold in team kata and silver in individual kata at the South Asian Karate Championship.
The NSJF designed the voting system to balance public input with professional evaluation. Digital ballots via payment partner Khalti will account for 50 percent of the final tally. The remaining 50 percent will be split among official Facebook votes on NSJF and Pulsar Nepal pages, head coaches of Olympic-affiliated national associations, and NSJF member journalists.
The People's Choice winner will receive a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle, as did last year’s recipient, volleyball player Himal Sunari. Winners in the men’s, women’s, coach, and youth categories will also receive motorcycles, while other category winners will be awarded NPR 100,000 each.
