Imran Sheikh — the two-lakh buy who became Biratnagar’s third-highest scorer

Season 3 in numbers

Four matches, 100 runs at an average of 25.00 and a strike rate of 116.28, with one fifty — 56 from 45 balls against Janakpur Bolts. He has also bowled four balls in the season, going for 14 runs.

Season 3 figures cover every completed match through Match 21 (the abandoned Match 7 produced no play), compiled from the published match scorecards and updated 10 November 2026.

The 56 against Janakpur was the innings that won the game: opening with Bam, Sheikh made the second-highest score of the match as Biratnagar posted 174 for 3 and won by two runs. His 39 in the opener against Chitwan Rhinos was the highest score of that innings for the Kings, and his 5 against Karnali was the only quiet night.

The Kathmandu game was a duck — 0 from 3 balls on the night the whole batting order failed and Biratnagar were bowled out for 83. One famous innings for Karnali Yaks is the public record behind the signing, so his technique at NPL level is proven in temperament more than volume — but 100 runs in four games is already a return on a 2-lakh buy.

Match by match

Every Imran Sheikh innings in NPL Season 3 so far, in the order they happened.

The opener set the tone: 39 from 31 balls against Chitwan Rhinos, top-scoring for the Kings in a 149-run total that lost by eight runs. Against Karnali he made 5 from 7 in the 186-run chase, then the 56 against Janakpur — his first fifty of Season 3 — and the duck against Kathmandu.

He did not play the five-over game against Sudurpaschim Royals, when the XI was shortened to the hitters. His right-arm off-break is listed as part-time, and he has bowled just four balls all season — a partnership-breaking option rather than a planned spell.

The two-lakh buy who delivered

Sheikh made his name in NPL 2025 playing for Karnali Yaks at the top of the order, top-scoring with 33 off 32 balls against defending champions Janakpur Bolts in a famous three-run win as Karnali defended 129.

The context of that innings is what earned him a second franchise: Karnali defending just 129 against the defending champions, Sheikh top-scoring with a composed 33 from 32 — strike rotation under scoreboard pressure rather than slogging — in a three-run win that remains one of the NPL’s great upsets.

Bought at the Category C base price of 2 lakh on 6 July, he arrived as a reserve opener behind an international top order — low-cost top-order insurance for a squad whose first-choice combinations feature overseas and senior Nepali names. Four games in, he is batting in the top three and averaging 25.

Where the Kings stand

Imran Sheikh’s 100 runs include the Kings’ third fifty of the season: Biratnagar Kings are sixth after Match 21 — four points from five games, with a net run rate of −0.820. The full table is on the NPL Points Table, and every result is on the NPL Results page.

Sheikh’s 100 runs are third in the side, behind Bam’s 194 and Russell’s 144 — and ahead of every other Nepali batter in the squad. Two wins from the last two games would take the Kings to 8 points and almost certainly into the playoffs, and the top order firing together is the most reliable route there.

What’s next

The run-in is short: two league games, then the playoffs. All the dates and times are on the NPL Schedule, inside the Nepal Premier League hub.

• Match 22 — Biratnagar Kings vs Pokhara Avengers: Thursday 12 November 2026, 12:30 PM NST (11:45 AM PKT, 6:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
• Match 26 — Biratnagar Kings vs Lumbini Lions: Saturday 14 November 2026, 4:30 PM NST (3:45 PM PKT, 10:45 AM UTC), TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
• Playoffs: Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 17 November, the Eliminator on Wednesday 18 November, Qualifier 2 on Thursday 19 November, and the final on Saturday 21 November — every playoff starts at 4:30 PM NST.

The points table after every match day, and every result as it happens, is on SialTV.