Aarif Sheikh

Some Lesser Known Facts About Aarif Sheikh

• Aarif Sheikh has liked playing cricket since childhood. His father always supported him, helped him with cricket kits, and attended his matches.

• He started playing matches at the local cricket tournaments.

• In December 2013, he played for Nepal in the 2014 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup.

• He and another Nepali cricketer, Karan KC, trained at the Just Cricket Academy in Bangalore for 10 days before the 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament.

  

• He was one of the 11 cricketers who played in Nepal’s first ODI match in 2018 against the Netherlands.

• He helped the Nepal team win the Bronze medal in the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu/Pokhara.

• The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) gave him a central contract in September 2020.

• In January 2021, he injured his ankle, went to the hospital, got treatment, came back, and helped his team draw the match.

  

• In 2022, his younger brother and wicketkeeper-batter, Aasif Sheikh, had a spat with the coach, Manoj Prabhakar. After that incident, Aarif was also dropped from playing XI for a few matches.

• A few days later, when he helped Nepal win the 3-match T20I series against the UAE, he showed his bat towards the dressing room and said, “I always talk with my bat.“

• In March 2023, after Nepal won the last leg of the ICC World Cup Cricket League-2 series and qualified for the 2023 Cricket World Cup global qualifiers, the Mayor of Birgunj, Rajeshman Singh, gifted him and his brother a motorcycle each.

• In the 2024 Nepal Premier League (NPL), the Sudurpaschim Royals acquired him for Rs 1.5 million.

• He played 9 matches in the tournament and scored 69 runs at an average of 11.50 and a strike rate of 97.18. They lost to the Janakpur Bolts in the final.

• In November 2024, he signed a sponsorship deal with KTM Diamond Cricket.

• In March 2025, he became the 6th cricketer to complete 1000 runs in the PM Cup, Nepal’s domestic List-A tournament.

  

• He has also signed many advertisement deals with brands such as Tecno and Vianet.