NPL 2026 Auction Recap: 37 Players Sold and the Aasif Sheikh Draw

The NPL 2026 auction in July was shorter on fireworks than some fans hoped, but it still shaped the season. Here is what happened.

The numbers

There were 155 players in the pool and 37 were bought. The Kathmandu Post covered the day. The highest price possible was Rs2 million, and only one player started near it.

The headline: Aasif Sheikh to Lumbini

Aasif Sheikh was the auction. Released by Janakpur, he started at Rs1.5 million, the highest base price in the pool. The bidding hit the Rs2 million cap, and since nobody could go higher, a lucky draw decided it. Lumbini Lions won. We have a full story on the move.

Retentions came first

Before the auction, teams had already kept 52 players between them. Five teams kept the maximum seven, Biratnagar and Kathmandu kept six and Janakpur kept five. That is why many teams only needed a handful of buys. Our retention breakdown goes team by team.

Why only 37?

People were surprised so few were sold, but it makes sense. Teams had their cores, overseas players are signed separately, and there is a squad size limit. Many good domestic players simply did not have a spot to fill.

What came next

The overseas announcements: David Warner to Kathmandu, Angelo Mathews to Biratnagar, Shadley van Schalkwyk to Lumbini and others. Remember only four overseas players can play in any XI.

If you want to see where everyone ended up, the squads page and player directory are the places to look.