Aasif Sheikh is a Nepal wicketkeeper-batter who will represent Lumbini Lions in NPL Season 3. The ICC Spirit of Cricket Award winner was bought for NPR 20 lakh at the July 2026 auction, the most the franchise spent on any player, and arrives from the Janakpur Bolts. He scored the first ODI half-century by a Nepali against India, 58 off 97 balls at the 2023 Asia Cup, and has 1,646 T20I runs.
Sheikh walks into two jobs for the champions: opening the batting and keeping wicket. His experience across 69 T20Is and 63 ODIs makes him the senior voice of the top order, and the Lions need stable powerplay starts in the Nepal Premier League 2026 to justify the spend.
About Aasif Sheikh
Aasif Sheikh is the Lumbini Lions' headline signing for NPL Season 3: Nepal's first-choice white-ball wicketkeeper-batter, bought for NPR 20 lakh — the most the franchise spent on any player and the priciest domestic pick of the July 2026 auction. He won the 2022 ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for refusing to run out an Irish batter backing up too far at the non-striker's end, and scored the first ODI half-century by a Nepali batter against India — 58 off 97 balls against Bumrah and Siraj at the 2023 Asia Cup. With 595 ODI runs in 2023 as Nepal's leading scorer, plus 1,646 T20I runs and 13 ODI fifties, the 25-year-old arrives from the Janakpur Bolts as the squad's marquee domestic batter.
Player details
| Full name | Aasif Sheikh |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 June 2001 |
| Birthplace | Birgunj, Nepal |
| Country | Nepal |
| Playing role | Wicketkeeper-batter (opener) |
| Batting style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling style | Does not bowl |
| NPL Season 3 auction fee | NPR 20 lakh |
Playing style and strengths
Aasif Sheikh opens right-handed with a game built on temperament and a straight bat: the 58 off 97 against India's new-ball attack at the 2023 Asia Cup remains the clearest evidence of a player who trusts his defence against the best. In T20 cricket that solidity converts into controlled aggression at the top of the order — 1,646 T20I runs with ten fifties, and an ODI hundred, mark a batter who can both anchor and accelerate.
Behind the stumps he is Nepal's first-choice white-ball keeper, tidy to both pace and spin, which matters for a squad that also carries Niroshan Dickwella and Dilip Nath as keeping options. He does not bowl, so his entire value sits in the opening partnership and the gloves — and on both counts he is the finished article in Nepali cricket.
Aasif Sheikh's role at Lumbini Lions in Season 3
Sheikh walks into two jobs: opening the batting and keeping wicket. The Lions paid NPR 20 lakh in Category A precisely because he solves both at once, freeing the overseas slots for a specialist quick in Ruben Trumpelmann and a specialist batter in Niroshan Dickwella rather than a keeper. He is expected to give Lumbini fast, stable starts in the powerplay.
His experience — 69 T20Is and 63 ODIs — makes him the senior voice in a top order built around Rohit Paudel's captaincy. The keeping hierarchy is clear: Sheikh first, Dickwella as the overseas backup, Dilip Nath as the retained domestic cover. For the title defence, the plan is simple — if Sheikh repeats his 2023 international form at the top of the order, the champions' most expensive problem is already solved.
Aasif Sheikh at NPL 2026
Season-by-season Nepal Premier League figures for Aasif Sheikh.
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPL 2024 (Season 1) | Janakpur Bolts | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | 0 | N/A (wicketkeeper-batter) |
| NPL 2025 (Season 2) | Janakpur Bolts | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | Not publicly consolidated | 0 | N/A (wicketkeeper-batter) |
| NPL 2026 (Season 3) | Lumbini Lions | Season not yet played | — | — | — | — | — |
Aasif Sheikh career records
Available senior career figures from the structured player record.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Best | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 69 | 1646 | — | — | 0/10 |
| ODI | 63 | 1677 | — | — | 1/13 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NPL team does Aasif Sheikh play for?
Aasif Sheikh plays for the Lumbini Lions in NPL Season 3 (2026). He played for the Janakpur Bolts in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
What was Aasif Sheikh’s auction price?
The Lumbini Lions bought him for NPR 20 lakh in Category A at the July 6, 2026 mini-auction — the franchise’s most expensive signing of the window.
What is Aasif Sheikh’s playing role?
He is a wicketkeeper-batter who opens the batting right-handed for Nepal and the Lions.
When was Aasif Sheikh born?
Aasif Sheikh was born on 22 June 2001 in Birgunj, Nepal.
Follow Lumbini Lions
Lumbini Lions squad lists each player’s Season 3 listing and role.
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