Aasif Sheikh tops NPL Season 3 auction at NPR 20 lakh as Lumbini Lions go big

Aasif Sheikh became the most expensive buy of the Nepal Premier League Season 3 auction in Kathmandu, joining Lumbini Lions for NPR 20 lakh as all five Category A players found new homes on Monday.

Sheikh, released by Janakpur Bolts in the retention window, drew the day's fiercest bidding before Lumbini landed Nepal's first-choice wicketkeeper at double his NPR 15 lakh base price. The Lions were the auction's most aggressive spenders overall, using NPR 44 lakh of their NPR 49.25 lakh purse across six signings and leaving just 5.25 lakh in reserve.

The remaining Category A quartet each went for NPR 15 lakh: Arjun Gharti to Pokhara Avengers, Bibek Kumar Yadav to Chitwan Rhinos, Rupesh Kumar Singh to Biratnagar Kings and Trit Raj Das to Janakpur Bolts.

In Category B, 15 of the 27 shortlisted players were sold, three of them at the NPR 10 lakh ceiling — wicketkeeper Dipak Bohara to Sudurpaschim Royals, Kishor Mahato to Lumbini and Shubh Kansakar to Karnali Yaks. Category C, the auction's depth pool, produced 33 sales from 123 names, led by Rit Gautam of Janakpur Bolts and Biratnagar Kings' Sujan Thapaliya at NPR 4.25 lakh apiece.

Janakpur Bolts and Biratnagar Kings made the most of the deepest purses in the room, adding eight players each. The Bolts committed NPR 41.25 lakh — including three Category B signings — and still left with NPR 25 lakh unspent, the most of any franchise. The Kings spent NPR 37.25 lakh.

Kathmandu Gorkhas took the opposite route. Having released Sheikh, the franchise added seven players for just NPR 17 lakh — exactly half their available purse — with Sahil Patel their only buy above base price territory at NPR 5 lakh.

In all, 53 of the 155 shortlisted players were sold for a combined NPR 244.25 lakh, while 102 went unsold from a registration pool of 347. The eight franchises now shape their final 16-player squads around their retained cores ahead of the season.

Full sold and unsold lists, final prices and every team's remaining purse are on the NPL Auction Season 3 tracker.