Anil Sah is best described as an aggressive top/middle-order batter who keeps wicket, giving his teams flexibility with team balance. He built his reputation as an opener for Nepal early in his career, and now typically bats in the top or middle order depending on the format and situation.

His most defining trait is strike rate under pressure. He holds Nepal's record for the fastest ODI fifty (19 balls), and his List A and T20 numbers show a batter who scores quickly rather than accumulating steadily — his career strike rates sit above 80 in ODIs and above 115 in T20 cricket.

As a wicketkeeper, he is a regular gloveman for both Janakpur Bolts and, at times, the Nepal team, which adds value to his all-format utility. He also offers occasional right-arm offbreak bowling as a fifth-bowler option, though this is a minor part of his game — he is picked primarily as a batting wicketkeeper.

On leadership, Sah captained Janakpur Bolts to the inaugural NPL title in 2024, showing tactical composure as a rookie franchise captain. However, after a difficult second season in which the Bolts finished bottom of the table in 2025, he was replaced as captain mid-season by Wayne Parnell — a reminder that his captaincy record, while historic, has had its ups and downs.

Sah came through Nepal's domestic and age-group structure before making his senior debut in 2018. He played age-group cricket including U-19 cricket for Nepal before graduating to the senior domestic circuit, representing Nepal Police Club before later moving to the Madhesh Province Cricket Association setup in November 2022.

Playing for Madhesh Province in Nepal's premier domestic 50-over event, the Prime Minister (PM) Cup, Sah delivered the standout performance of his career in 2024 — scoring 386 runs, the most runs by any batter in that year's tournament. That run of form, including a 61-run knock against Province No. 1 in the 2022 edition, is what forced national selectors to bring him back into the international fold after a lengthy absence.

Sah made his List A debut for Nepal on 12 February 2018 in the ICC World Cricket League Division Two. He was subsequently part of the historic squad for Nepal's first-ever One Day International, against the Netherlands, in August 2018 — a milestone that came after Nepal secured ODI status during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

He made his T20I debut on 29 July 2018, in the same Netherlands fixture window, at Lord's, and his official ODI debut on 1 August 2018 against the Netherlands in Amstelveen.

After a period out of the side, his 2024 domestic form triggered a national recall for the home ODI series against Canada. In that series he scored a 19-ball fifty — Nepal's fastest-ever ODI half-century, beating Aasif Sheikh's previous record of a 21-ball fifty against Papua New Guinea in 2023 — and followed it up with 112 not out off 124 balls in his very next appearance, his maiden international century, earning Player of the Match.

He was subsequently named in Nepal's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Sah's primary and only major franchise assignment to date is the Nepal Premier League, where he has played every edition since its 2024 launch with Janakpur Bolts. He has not yet featured in the IPL or any overseas T20 league.

NPL 2024 (Season 1): Signed by Janakpur Bolts as the most expensive player in the auction; appointed captain; led the Bolts to the inaugural title.

NPL 2025 (Season 2): Retained by Janakpur Bolts and continued as captain for part of the season; the Bolts struggled and finished last (8th); Sah was removed as captain mid-season and replaced by Wayne Parnell.

NPL 2026 (Season 3): Retained as a core Janakpur Bolts player ahead of the July 2026 auction, alongside Lalit Rajbanshi, Mayan Yadav, Aaditya Mahata, and Bikash Aagri — notably, the Bolts released their marquee player Aasif Sheikh for this season, underlining Sah's continued importance to the franchise.

Sah captained Janakpur Bolts through its first season and part of its second. Teams captained: Janakpur Bolts (NPL). Seasons as captain: NPL 2024 (full season), NPL 2025 (partial season). Titles won: 1 (NPL 2024 — inaugural champions). He was replaced mid-season by Wayne Parnell during NPL 2025 after the team's form dipped. A full ball-by-ball breakdown of matches won and lost specifically under his captaincy has not been published by an official source.

17 November 1998 — Born in Kalaiya, Bara, Nepal.

12 February 2018 — List A debut vs Kenya, 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two.

29 July 2018 — T20I debut vs Netherlands, Lord's, London.

1 August 2018 — ODI debut vs Netherlands, Amstelveen — Nepal's first-ever ODI.

November 2022 — Moved from Nepal Police Club to Madhesh Province Cricket Association.

2024 — Top run-scorer (386 runs) in the PM Cup for Madhesh Province.

February 2024 — Recalled for home ODI series vs Canada; scored fastest ODI fifty by a Nepali batter (19 balls) and maiden ODI century (112* off 124).

October 2024 — Sold to Janakpur Bolts for NPR 1.5 million — most expensive player at NPL's first auction.

November–December 2024 — Captained Janakpur Bolts to the inaugural NPL title.

2024 — Named in Nepal's ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad.

November–December 2025 — Captained Janakpur Bolts for part of NPL Season 2; team finished bottom; replaced as captain by Wayne Parnell mid-season.

June 2026 — Retained as a core player by Janakpur Bolts ahead of NPL Season 3, as the franchise released marquee man Aasif Sheikh.