Over the past decade, Afghanistan cricketers have established a strong and growing presence across leading international T20 leagues around the world, including the IPL, CPL, PSL, ILT20, SA20, BBL and other franchise leagues. It is now time for them to showcase their skills in their own league.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) plans to launch its own version of the IPL at the year-end, (December 27), and has locked in three owners. The inaugural edition will be held in the UAE, but the ACB has kept the option of moving the league to another location in the future open.
“The inaugural edition of the APL shall be hosted in the United Arab Emirates at ICC-approved venues. Subsequent editions of the APL may be hosted at alternative venues outside of the UAE, as may be communicated by the APL,” the ACB says. The possibility for future venues remains open-ended.
Of the three franchises on board, two are Indian origin owners. Amit Kaushal, the founder and chairman of AKCEL Group, has taken the Kabul team (Akcel United Kabul). Pankaj Chadha and Ashish Mehta of Dubai-based business group Bullfrog, who also own a team in the Nepal Premier League (Pokhara Avengers), have bought the Kandahar franchise (Kandahar Warriors).
Shakaib Rahimi, an Afghan-American entrepreneur and a longstanding supporter of Afghan cricket, has bought the Balakh team (Balakh Zwanan). For the remaining two, it is in discussion with a couple of billionaire business magnates from the US and a few Indian corporates. The league will be held in December with five franchises, initially.
The ACB has granted league rights to Cricket Ventures LLC-FZ, a UAE-based company, which has a joint venture with mena subsidiary of ITW Universe, to operate and promote the APL. “When we signed the long-term partnership with the ACB, the brief was simple and ambitious: rebuild the APL as a professionally run, internationally visible T20 property that develops Afghan talent and gives investors a decade-long runway,” said Bhairav Shanth, Co Founder, ITW Universe.
“This week’s announcements in Dubai — the first three franchises, their identities, and the Koh-E-Zafar trophy — turn that brief into a living league. The trophy’s mountain motif is not decoration; it is the right metaphor for a cricket nation that has climbed through extraordinary circumstances.
“What matters now is execution. Player registration opens 30 August. The inaugural draft is 27 September. The first ball is scheduled for 27 December. Between those dates we have to lock remaining franchises, commercial partners, broadcast quality and a fan experience that matches the standard we are already applying to other Afghanistan-linked properties. Leagues succeed when owners see a real asset, players see a real pathway, and brands see a clean, high-attention platform. That is the standard we are holding the APL to.”
The Essentials of the APL
- The APL’s inaugural Edition shall comprise 5 Teams
- Each Team plays a minimum of 8 group-stage matches
- Top team in the group stage qualifiers for the final
- The 2nd vs 3rd league standing Teams to play the Eliminator
- The inaugural Edition will be in the UAE
- Each team will have a squad of 16 to 18 players.
- Players for the inaugural edition will be recruited through a draft process.
- Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Paktia are available for purchase.
- The base price for the right to own and operate a franchise is USD 1,250,000
- In the playing XI, a maximum of 4 foreign players and one local emerging player in the remaining 7
- Player registration opens on August 30
- The inaugural draft is on September 27
- The start of the league is on December 27
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